


Forever Love

by katmarvel



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Hail Hydra?, Hellcarrier, Romance, Some feels, Tony is a cockblock, Violence, powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-18
Updated: 2015-01-26
Packaged: 2018-01-19 21:39:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 42,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1485031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katmarvel/pseuds/katmarvel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Martha, a 22 year old SHIELD agent, is thrown in the midst of a global crisis, involving a certain god. But when she meets the famous Captain America, she is instantly in love. Will he love her back? (BTW unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Martha

Hello, there. I’m Martha. I have no last name, but that’s okay, because i’ve never really needed one. I work at SHIELD, and i’m one of Fury’s top agents. There, i’m just Agent Martha. Nothing else. I need to tell my story to the world, get it off my chest. There are too many rumors spreading around, too many horrendous stories so far from the truth it’s almost funny. But it isn’t. It’s never funny. This story, is my life.

 

I grew up in Maryland, in the good ol’ USA. I lived there, for about 15 years. My family, they were perfect. Funny, kind, sweet, caring, and weird when they wanted to be. Yes, i am using past tense. A gunman, sent by an unknown person, snuck into my house at 1 in the morning and shot my wonderful family, my sister, brother, mom and dad. And me. The wounds given to my family were lethal, and they died within seconds. My wound was in my shoulder, and all i needed was 5 months of physical therapy. Broken, I wandered the streets, homeless with no place to go. Fury sent Clint Barton, Hawkeye, to retrieve me and bring me into SHIELD. I had no idea why, until i was taken to the Helicarrier and Fury informed me that I had, powers of some sort. It was my job to discover them, with the help of the other SHIELD agents. So, that is what i did. Fury never elaborated on the gunman, or why he only shot my shoulder. I want to know, but at the same time, I really don’t. Now, I am 22. I have been at SHIELD, for ummm, I think it’s been like 7 years now? I didn’t keep track of time. I’ll just ask Natasha or Clint later. They’re my two best friends. Well, and Agent Coulson. Actually, now that i think about it, they’re my only friends. None of the other agents talk to me. I’m a sort of loner. Oh right, my powers. After these 7 years, I know this. I can fly very short distances, if i’m angry enough I can control fire and sometimes water, I am incredibly strong, though i don’t like to use it, and I can learn new fighting moves by using imitation. Plus, I can read body language well so I am a great interrogator, and Natasha has taught me many fighting styles. This is what i know so far.

 

Today, feels different. I’m not really sure why exactly though. I’ll figure it out later. I sit up in my bed, glancing around the room to check everything is where it should be. I am that kind of person. My room is mostly black, with occasional red, white, and blue splatters of color. It’s pretty bland, but i don’t spend a lot of time in it anyways. I slowly get out of my multi colored splatter bed, a beacon of brightness, the soreness from training yesterday restricting my movements. I stumble over to my closet, pulling on a grey camisole and black sweat pants. Oh right, i have today off, so i can wear whatever. Good, but why do i have the day off? I’ll remember later. I take a quick shower, washing my hair and body. I get out, only putting on a small amount of mascara because I have such naturally short eyelashes. I don’t wear makeup that often, because i think that i am perfect the way I am, and need no improvements. I exit the bathroom, checking the time. 6:00 am. Great. My day off and I wake up early. Sighing, I open my door, seeing the hallway almost completely empty. Weird, usually its filled with older agents calmly walking down the hall and younger agents rushing to the bridge because they are late. Glancing around, I take off in the direction of the bridge, still not seeing any agents. I continue to walk, noticing the signs of people having walked here before today.

After a short 5 minute walk, I reach the bridge. Bracing myself for some kind of explosion or dead bodies, I pull open the door and stop in my tracks.

 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARTHA!!!!!!!!!” The entire agency screams at me. Clint and Natasha laugh at my shocked and surprised face, walking over to me and pulling me onto the bridge. It seems as if every agent came to the party, including Fury and even, Tony Stark? Whoa, what is this? “This is your birthday party, Martha! You’re finally 23!!” Natasha laughs at me, leading me into the fray.

There is loud pop music playing, and everyone is dancing and having a good time. “What... Why... How... For me?” I stutter and then squeak, earning a laugh from Clint.

“Yes for you! We noticed how lonely you always seemed, and we knew you would forget your own birthday, so we set up a party for you. And also, we just really wanted to throw a party."  
I laughed as well, realizing i was standing in front of Tony Stark. I turned around, blushing and looking down. "Hello, Mr. Stark." I said softly. 

He chuckled, hitting my back in a friendly way. "Please, just call me Tony. Don't be shy! We're all friends here."  
I smiled sheepishly, nodding and moving back over to Clint's side. He handed me a drink, and i threw it back, ready to party and have a great time.

It’s been a couple of hours since the party started, and everyone is a little drunk. The good thing is we’re all agents, so we have been trained to have great alcohol tolerance. Alcohol doesn't really affect me at all, so I never get hangovers. I’ve talked to Tony, who is a hoot and really fun. He has no alcohol tolerance, and probably was already drunk by the time he arrived here. He’s the life of the party, trying to coax me into joining him on the table he is currently standing on and shouting random things as well. Even Fury started to smile, showing emotion for one of the first times since I joined SHIELD. I laughed, being social. I think this surprised all the agents, i’m usually really reserved. I talked to a lot of agents, and most of them said they didn’t talk to me, because they were scared of me. I don’t want to scare people. I told them that, and they replied with some variation of, “Your powers scare us, and you’re mysterious.”

 

I need to change that.

 

I take a leap of faith, and walk over to the table that Tony’s standing on. I hop up easily, years of training giving me agility that rivals even Natasha’s. Tony does a double take at me, and just laughs. “Glad to see you shed your shell, Emmy,” He shouts.

I raise my eyebrows. “Emmy?”

He shrugs, taking out his phone, and blasting Party Rock Anthem through hidden speakers somewhere in the room. I giggle like a young girl, singing along with the lyrics, dancing some kind of weird dance, and just having a great time. I am an amazing dancer, if I do say myself, and I heard cheers from all around the bridge. I just smile, motivated by Tony’s raucous laughter from beside me. Everyone is dancing along to the music, screaming out the lyrics when they know them, and it is crazy, but in a good way. I spot a shadow in the corner of the room, not moving at all, watching. I would usually go investigate who or what it is, but right now my brain is focused on not falling off the table and killing myself. I stare intently at the shadow, until it moves and exits the room. My brain is a little confused with all the noise in the room, but i manage to decide one thing:

It’s a man.

I still don’t know exactly who he is, but i know for certain it is indeed a man. Later, maybe tomorrow, I will look at the security footage to see who it really was, but i’m slightly occupied. The song changes to Sorry For Party Rocking, another song by LMFAO. I laugh for real this time, yelling over the music to the wasted Tony who appeared to be ready to fall flat on his face at any point in time. “You must really like LMFAO!”

He smiles lopsidedly, nodding like a madman, and raising his red cup to the ceiling. The rest of the party passed this way, until most of the agents collapsed of exhaustion or just pure laziness.

 

It is currently 6 pm, still my birthday. I’m leaning on the wall near the bridge, examining the complete wreck that the party left. Trust me, I don’t regret a thing. Well, maybe the part where Tony fell of the table. No, i don’t regret that. My head hurts, and all I want to do is sleep. But first, I need to settle the burn my curiosity has left. Who that mystery shadow is. Sighing, I push myself off the wall, knowing I will not be able to sleep or do anything until I know who he was. I walk over to the surveillance computer, rewinding the video feed until I reached the start of the party. I fast forwarded the tape, noticing how drunk Tony seemed to be at the start of the party. Was he actually sober? Man, that guy has problems. But he’s still awesome. No wonder Fury hates him. I see myself step onto the table, and then go to the camera that pointed to where I had first spotted the unknown man. I finally reach the spot where I should have seen him, but again, it’s only his shadow. Even SHIELD’s cameras can be crappy when they want to be. I swore softly, searching the images for just a glimpse. “Looking for me?” A male voice sounded behind me.

I freeze, my breath catching in my throat. I know that if i turn around, I will come face-to-face with the unknown man, and if he is hostile, in my tired state, I will lose any fight against him. But if i don’t turn around, he could kill me from behind easily. The man’s voice is grating, rough, like it hasn’t been used in a while. There is no sense of compassion or anything good about his voice. I take the chance, and slowly turn around. There, standing before me, is my worst nightmare.

 

A demon-thing, of some sorts.

 

It’s over 7 feet tall, extremely pale with sunken features, and is staring right into my soul with completely white eyes. I gasp involuntarily, noticing how it’s raven black hair accents its pale face. It is covered in a black flowing cloak, that covers its arms and legs and appears to fade away. I stand there, paralyzed by fear, as it leans into me. “Hello, SHIELD agent.” It almost spits the words, with... anger?

“I need you to show me all of your secret files. Now.” It barked at me, and i gather up enough courage to shake my head.

It laughs, a gruff, harsh sound that made my blood boil. “No one refuses me, puny earthling. Now open it.”

Once again i make the bad decision to say no. And no i do say. This seemed to enrage it, and it raises a hand to probably kill me, when it’s knocked to the side by a flying object. I jump back, hiding behind the closest thing i could find, which is a table. I don’t like to fight, or to watch fights, or even be involved in any type of fight, even verbal. I hear loud sounds of the demon-thing screeching, and i instinctively cover my ears. Another man’s yell is added to the mix, and i’m surprised the rest of the agents are still sleeping. I keep my head down, alert to anyone coming down to my level, but suddenly all the sounds of the fight stops. I cringe, thinking the demon-thing killed the other thing attacking it. There are a lot of ‘things’ at SHIELD. I see in the corner of my eye a figure jumping down next to me. I panic, and step back, a wall halting my retreat. The figure is a man, shorter than the demon-thing, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He is incredibly muscular, and is extrodinarily handsome. He looks like he stepped out of the 1940’s. His clothes are old-fashioned, but make him look even better. He’s wearing a jacket and brown pants, and is holding, a red white and blue shield? Oh no, it can’t be. It is.

 

It’s Steve Rogers. Captain America. He just saved my life, I think. If that was him fighting the demon-thing. He takes another step towards me, smiling, and speaking in a soothing low voice, “It’s alright. I’m here.”

“I can take care of myself.” I retorted, wanting to show him i’m not weak in any way.

He nods, “I know. I saw you refuse him. You stood your ground nicely.”

“Thanks?” I say. It ends up more of a question.

He just chuckles, and offers me his hand. “I’m Steve Rogers. Captain America.”

I take his hand, shaking it firmly. Like I said, good people skills.

“Martha.” I smile, trying my best to impress him.

He smiles back warmly at me, taking my hand firmly with his and leading me out of the room. “Come on, it’s not safe here.” I nod, following him through the halls.


	2. Steve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Martha has met Steve, who just saved her life. But from what?

My brain is still a bit fuzzy, so i do my special technique of recap. So today, I woke up to go to my surprise birthday party, saw a shadow, watched the security footage to see who/what it was, was attacked by a demon-thing, was saved by Captain America himself, and now am being pulled down a hallway by him. Today, so far, has been, let’s just say, very interesting. I don’t know if it is a good interesting, or a bad interesting. I’ll guess we figure out. While my brain has been working overtime, Steve/Captain has continued to pull me down the hallway, not saying a word. To be truly honest, he’s scaring me a little. He’s supposed to be a kind soldier, that looks out for people, but right now the look on his face makes me think he wants to bomb Russia or something. Ow his grip is tight! I break the silence, trying my hardest not to trip with the fast pace he’s set. “So, Mr. Rogers, why are you at SHIELD helicarrier?”

I’m always formal with people i just met or haven’t yet.

He almost seems to smile. “Fury called me in. There has been a spike in mysterious creatures appearing, like the one that tried to kill you. And call me Steve.”

I almost shudder at what would have happened if he hadn't saved me, but i’m glad he’s at least talking and not glaring at nothing. “Okay, Steve, does he know why there’s a spike?”

“No, that’s why he called me in.”

“Oh. Well, that does make sense.”

He chuckles softly, so i continue. “Are you enjoying the helicarrier so far?”

“It lives up to the name.” He replies, laughing now.

“Yes, but i think the name hellcarrier would be better.”

“Oh really? It seems like a nice place.”

“It is on Wednesdays. Every other day it smells like rotten eggs in a gym locker.”

“That is a smell i tend to avoid.”

“Good. Because it is disgusting.”

“I will remember to bring air betterer with me once i move in.”

“It’s air freshener now, if is was ‘betterer’ before. You’re moving in?”

“Yes, Fury wants me here to help control the spike.”

“Oh fun. You’ll probably hate it here, unless you like places like this.”

“And what exactly are places like this?”

“Um, well they smell, everyone makes horrible puns, Fury yells at almost everyone, and the coffee is horrible.”

“I shall avoid the coffee, i like horrible puns, and i know Fury yells at everyone. I’m used to stench.”

“Good, because it stinks like a dead rhino here.”

I surprised myself, by keeping up a carefree banter with Steve, and not messing up and fangirling. I usually have a quick wit about me, but i thought for sure i would lose it. But he just shot it right back. I really thought he would just ignore me, but he didn’t. Steve didn’t have time to respond, because he reached the end of the hallway and pulled open a door. I realized he had never let go of my hand this entire time, which is really weird. But he walked into the room anyway, still holding my hand. I looked around, realizing this was the room where Fury met with the Council. Fury sat in a corner of the room, in a chair. “Good. Welcome, Martha and Rogers. We have things we need to discuss.”

I glance over at Steve, who nods his head and moves to sit in on of the two chairs facing Fury. I follow his lead, sitting down at him while secretly(i hope) glancing around the room, taking it all in. The room is small, but it isn’t used as much as it was before the Avengers came along. Yes, the Avengers did defeat Loki in New York. I was here, on the Helicarrier, for the entire time. Someone, I think it was Natasha, thought I wasn’t ready to know about half of the things that were unearthed with the Battle of New York, so I was locked in a room with a TV and a laptop, that had no internet. It was horrible. I sat and did nothing, and I didn’t even get informed that the Hellcarrier almost fell from the sky!. I was locked up for about a week, until Natasha and Clint finally locked me out. They think that i’m oblivious to the world, and that I know nothing about New York, Loki, Thor, any of it. But of course I do. Come on, everyone knew about it. It’s a nation crisis! No, it’s a global crisis! But they think i’m ignorant, and I know that they are clueless about me sometimes, so everythings how I like it. Anyway, Fury starts to speak.

“There is a problem. The amount of random creatures appearing around the globe has increased at a drastic rate. I need you two to work together to find out why this is happening, who is doing it, and stop them. Don’t fail me.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Steve nod once again, and stand up. I stand up too, not really knowing what to do now. Everything’s going by me too fast, and my head's still spinning. Steve turns on his heel and exits the room quickly and quietly, not saying a word. Whirling around, I hear Fury’s voice. “Wait a second, Martha.”

 

I cringe a little, turning slowly so i’m facing Fury. He looks calm, like he cares about me. “Be careful. And be patient with Steve. He’s a little out of his league with our technology.” He smiles, genuinely, so I smile back and nod my head.

 

I turn once again, and exit the room to find a deserted hallway. I shrug, jogging down it to the first intersection. I don’t see anyone once again, so I continue this pattern until i’m back at the bridge. No sign of any person or Steve. I hope he isn’t lost. I walk back over to the security cameras on the bridge, and tell them to locate Steve. As it processes my command, I let my gaze drift over the mess of the Hellcarrier. Agents are sprawled across the room, and it reeks of alcohol. No one is moving, and I can see Tony snoring softly with a girl draped over his chest. Good luck explaining that to Pepper. The computer beeps, alerting me it had concluded its search. I fix my attention on it, noticing that he headed to the training room. Interesting. Why would he go there? I mean, Fury did just assign him, and me, a really large project, that I really no clue how to do even start on. Taking a deep breath, I compose myself from the stress Fury has put on me, and start to leisurely walk to the training room.

 

Upon reaching the training room, a good 10 minute walk, I reflected back that I had thought of nothing. My mind goes blank sometimes, and I just don’t think. But i’m thinking now, because Steve is excersising right in front of me,

 

Shirtless.

 

OH GOD OH GOD OH. He has muscles galore, and HE IS RIPPED! Fury’s words sink in. We’ll be working   
together on this project, probably for a while. And during that time, he’ll need to stay in shape. So he’ll work out. Probably shirtless. Oh god, just kill me now. I will not get through this. before this, I could hold in all my fangirl-Captain-America feelings, but now, GOD WHY FURY HE MUST BE A MIND READER WHY WOULD HE DO THIS TO ME!!!

 

Steve’s standing in the middle of the training room, beating the living daylights out of a punching bag. His back is to me, so I hope he doesn’t know i’m here. I have a gorgeous view of his backside, and of the sweat dripping down his back. How did he get here and change so fast? And how is he sweating after just 10 minutes or less?

 

“You know, it’s rude to stare.” A voice drew me out of my thoughts.

Steve’s POV

 

“You know, it’s rude to stare.” I say to Martha. After Fury had told us that our next project was to contain the random creature spike, or RCS, I knew that I needed to see how well her abilities were. I quickly left, and I expected her to be right behind me. But I turned around, and she had disappeared. I thought that I had lost her. I first panicked, knowing that there could be more demons or creatures around, but she is a trained SHIELD agent. One of the best, according to Fury. I don’t know why, but I feel obligated to protect her. I can’t let any harm come to her. I have never had this urge, except for maybe Bucky. But he was, sorry, is, my best friend, always will be, even in death, and Martha is a girl that I had just met and had one interesting conversation with. I went with my gut, and headed to the training room at a light jog. I reached the room in about 2 minutes, quickly took off my shirt, and started to destroy a punching bag. When I exercise, I get fully into it, so I was drenched in sweat in under a minute. I continued to crunch the punching bag, when I heard Martha walk in. She gasped very softly, so softly I could barely hear it. But I still caught it. I smiled a little to myself, and punched the bag even harder. She stood in the doorway, not moving. She didn’t know there was a mirror on the other side of the gym, so I could see every single one of her expressions. First it was shock, then surprise, then excitement, then worry, then surprise again as I spoke, alerting her that I knew of her presence. She seemed to realize that I could see her expressions and emotions, and hid it from me as a good SHIELD agent is taught to do. I stopped punching the bag and turned around, breathing hard and smiling. “Like what you see?” I question her.

 

She mumbles something, looking down at the ground, a faint blush spreading across her face. It sounded like Sorry, I was looking for you.

 

I chuckle, walking over to the bench where I had discarded my shirt. I sit down slowly, pulling my shirt over my head. It fit tightly, which is how I like all my shirts. I fast walk over to Martha, noticing she still is looking at me. “How may I help you?” I ask her, trying not to sound too rude

 

“Um, well, Fury called me to stay behind for a minute, and I left the room, and you weren't there, so I went back to the bridge and used the SHIELD security cameras to find where you were, and then you were here, so I came here and here you are.” She babbled, talking fast.

 

I only caught about half the sentence. “You went back to the bridge? It’s unsafe there! We need to sanction off the area, keep it clear of people!” I nearly yelled with anger.

 

What am I doing? Why am I so worried if Martha goes back to the bridge or not? It is highly unlikely that any other creature would end up there! What is happening to me? She is still staring at the ground, and I think I startled her. Well, I startled myself. “Well, I didn’t know where you were, and all the agents are passed out there...” She trailed off, her voice barely audible.

 

Guilt runs through my veins. “No, no i’m sorry. It’s just, I have no clue what’s causing the spike, and I just want to protect y- everyone.” I nearly slip up and say protect you, but I can’t say that.

It’ll make things awkward, and she’ll not want to work with me. Fury will hear of it, ask me what’s wrong, and I can’t explain it. Even I don’t know what’s wrong. Also, I want, no need, to protect her, and if she gets moved off this project, I can’t make sure she’s alright. What is happening to me? She looks up at me, and i’m struck with her beauty. Her green eyes sparkle with life, her cheeks are sharp and defined, her long golden hair flows like silk, and she has an air of happiness and mischief around her. She speaks, and her beautiful voice makes me realize what exactly i’m feeling:

 

 

I may be in love.


	3. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Martha dreams, and a god makes a guest appearance.

Martha’s POV

 

“What should we do now?” I inquired. Steve stood about a foot from me, staring at me blankly. I realize he zoned out. Staring at me. Welp, this is awkward. I wave my hand in front of his face like I had seen other people do. He jerked, confused. “Wait, what?”

 

“Um, did you just zone out?” I wonder out loud.

“Yes, I think I did.” He seemed clueless, like he had just had a revelation.

“Well, I said what should we do now?” I repeat.

“We will start working tomorrow. You should probably get some rest.” He instructs me.

I know better than to argue with him, so I just nod.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Do you know where you room is?” He nods, so I continue. “Well, um... see you tomorrow I guess...” I trail off, and quickly leave the room.

 

I have no clue what just happened.

 

Steve is a sort of enigma to everyone in SHIELD. He is from an entirely different time period, talks differently, walks differently, treats everyone differently. He’s a soldier; he never shows exactly what he’s feeling unless he tells people. I admire him, he’s a survivor, but i’m scared to work with him. What if he doesn’t like me? What if I mess up, and he tells Fury? I can’t get demoted. I’ve worked too long to get to where I am. I cannot mess this up, I will not. Ugh.

 

I finally reach my room, hoping Steve found his, and he doesn’t need help. Things got very awkward back there, and I just want to shower and sleep. Sleep is one of my favorite things, but sometimes I get nightmares. They haunt me, and then sleep is a misery. I hope tonight is not one of those nights. I quickly shower, softly singing ‘Addicted’ by Saving Abel. I hop out of the shower, and get dressed in my PJ’s, which consist of black pajama pants and a black tank top. I comb my hair, and lay down ‘in between the sheets’ (Addicted quote). Closing my eyes, I sigh and drift off into sleep.

 

-Dream-

 

I’m walking down a forest path. It’s beauty at its finest. The vegetation is lush and green, the birds are brightly colored and are singing sweet, calming melodies. Small forest animals run along the tree lines. This was a forest path in my backyard. I remember it well. I would escape here to do homework or just walk. At the sound of a resonating gunshot, the forest goes silent. Nothing moves. Oh no, not this dream. My feet unwillingly pull me down the path, though my mind knows what’s at the end. I reach a bend in the path, but what I see brings me back a pace. This nightmare is different. Usually I see my family, bloody and dead, laying in a heap. A masked man lights a match and burns the bodies to the ground. This, this is much much worse. It is a pile of bodies, but not my family.

 

My friends.

 

Fury, Steve, Natasha, Clint, Tony, Maria, all dead. Bloody, and dead. I gasp, my heart rate speeding up, my heart thudding in my chest.  
I try to find a way to escape the dream, horror running through my veins, freezing my blood. A different person lights the bodies on fire, someone I have never met but heard of before.

 

Loki.

 

God of Mischief and Lies.

 

Tried to take over the world.

 

Taken back to Asgard for justice.

 

Killed in a battle with Malakeith and the Dark Elves.

 

I learned this because I had overheard Natasha talking about it with Clint and Fury.

 

Why is he in my dream? Why did he kill these people? He starts to walk towards me, and I can’t move. He’s staring at me with his green eyes, sharp cheekbones, deathly pale skin, raven black hair, Asgardian battle armor. He stalks to me, standing inches in front of me. I am terrified, but I cannot run, my feet are glued to the ground. I cannot look away from his eyes, and he chuckles. My blood freezes at this point, and my breath hitches in my throat. “My queen.” He whispered, in a low seductive tone. I try to shake my head, but I can’t move it. That figures. He leans closer, I think to kiss my lips. Why? I have no idea. He succeeds with his plan, roughly kissing my lips against my will. He is rough, pulling me against his body. I don’t move at all, but his lips move against mine fast and hard. Someone in the real world started to shake me, and I felt myself start to wake up. Loki pulled back, whispering in my ear, “Until the next time you sleep, Martha.”

 

I jolt awake, shaking and about to scream. “Martha, Martha, calm down! It’s just me, Steve! It’s okay.”

I am shaking like a leaf, but Steve calms me down a little bit. I sit up, breathing heavily and calming myself down. “I’m... f...f...ine.” I mutter, cursing under my breath that Steve had to see me like this. I close my eyes, calming down my breathing, telling myself it was just a dream. All my friends are alive, and Loki did not call me his queen and forcefully kiss me. Something in the back of my mind tells me it wasn’t a dream, that Loki orchestrated it. I know that he could very well do that. I am fully aware that Steve is standing by my bed, not sure what to do. I open my eyes, making myself smile at him. “Sorry about that. Nightmares. How may I help you?”

I don’t think I fully convinced him, but he seemed to be reassured enough.

 

“Well, another creature showed up, like the demon we encountered. Fury said that the man behind this is at the site, and we need to leave right away to catch him. He’s in Michigan, so we can take the jet and be there in 10 minutes.” All this time Steve is talking slowly and softly, like he didn’t know exactly what to do.

 

I nod, hoping out of the bad, self-conscious of the clothes I wore to bed. “I’ll be ready in 2. Meet me at Hangar 3.” I hope he doesn't mind that i’m giving him orders, but he seems to lost and this is important to our work. He nods, and turns to leave my room. He is a very confusing person, but then again so am I.

 

I shower, pull my hair up, change into my SHIELD uniform, and run down to Hangar 3. Steve is waiting there for me, looking relieved that I showed up safely. Because of the huge amounts of noise in the Hangars, all I can do is give him a hand signal to ask if he is ready, and he gives me the okay hand signal back.

 

We get onto one of the fastest SHIELD jets, and I notice that I had never seen this pilot before. “Must be a new pilot.” I comment in my head. “But why would Fury send a new pilot on a mission this important?” I can come up with no answer, but am startled out of my thoughts by the pilot informing us that we would be there in 12 minutes.

 

I sigh, leaning back in my seat. “So, Martha, are you alright?” Steve inquires quietly.

 

“Yeah, just a nightmare about my past. I’m fine. Who is the man behind this?” I divert the conversation.

“Fury didn’t say, but he’s hiding in plain sight. Like Loki did.” I wasn’t supposed to hear the last part.

My thoughts immediately went to the man being Loki, but the odds of that were impossible. Or were they?

“Are you sure you’re alright? Do you want to talk about it?” Steve interrupts again.

 

“Yeah, i’m fine. It was just about my family. It happens a lot actually.” I still don’t open my eyes, afraid that he’ll see right through my act.

“Oh, well, i’m sorry. I know what nightmares are like.” This surprises me, and I open my eyes to look at Steve quizzically. He shrugs, and closes his own eyes.

 

I pull out my phone, and check the time. 3:43 am. No wonder its pitch black outside.

 

The rest of the plane ride is silent, and I nearly fall asleep. The pilot jerks me fully awake when he shouts, “This is our destination!”

 

He had to shout, over the noise made by, something. It was another demon thing, just this time, a little less frightening. The plane lands, and I finally notice that Steve was wearing the Captain America uniform, complete with the red, white, and blue shield that is oh-so-famous. We both jump off the plane, before it even touches the ground. We land, and I realize we are in Midland, Michigan, a relatively small town. I have visited here a couple of times, and I love Michigan.

 

My breath catches once again as I finally see who we are up against.

 

No.

 

It can’t be.

 

But yet it is.

 

LOKI.

 

He’s standing, no leaning, against a building, like he hasn’t a care in the world. Around him, people are screaming, yelling for each other, and basically just running around. He is the only calm point in the square. We had landed in the main square of Midland(I know there really isn’t one, because I lived there, but lets pretend there is). The shops surrounding the square are either out of power or burnt down. In the direct center of the square is another demon-thing, not as large as the first, and this one actually had a face. It seemed to be a cross between a Frost Giant and a Dark Elf. I had never seen anything like in, in any way, shape, or form. Steve and I were not the only SHIELD agents on the case. I saw many agents, like Natasha and Clint, fighting side by side. No wonder. I ship it. Anyways, Steve and I run into the fray. Agents are herding people into helicopters and planes, trying to get them to safety. The demon-thing is completely enclosed by agents, but seems to not even be fazed. So much for being less frightening than the first. The agents are tossed to the side like rag dolls, some hitting the ground and staying down. I wince, glancing around me and noticing that Steve has thrown himself into the brawl.

 

He leaps towards the demon-thing, landing right in front of it. It/thing swings a punch, but Steve quickly ducks it and swipes his legs around to try and knock it down. It jumps a good 5 feet in the air, gracefully hitting the ground on the other side of Steve. Steve takes this chance to spring onto the thing’s back, pulling the shield against its neck tightly. It bellows, spinning around in a vain attempt to throw Steve off. All this time, Loki just stands at the edge of the square, a look of indifference on his face. I start to run, using my training to promptly kick it in the face. It stops turning, and faces me. Steve takes this opportunity to pull his shield completely through the demon-things neck, beheading it. The body and head disappeared into dark smoke, and the chaos of the square continued. Steve huffed, breathing hard, his chest heaving. “Thanks,” He breathed.

 

I just nodded, not wanting to even think about Loki. Oh damn, I just did. And again. And again. STOP IT ME!!!! “You should really stop thinking about me,” A voice sounded. “I’m in your head, darling.” Oh its Loki.

“GET THE F*** OUT OF MY HEAD LOKI!!!!” I shout back, hoping he can hear me.

 

A low scream pierces the air, and Steve and I both turn. Loki has one arm wrapped around a civilian man, his knife at his throat. His other arm is holding a young woman against the wall by the throat. She isn’t moving, and I realize it’s Natasha. She must be trying to figure out how to escape the hold. Steve makes a move towards them, and Loki gives him a glare. “Don’t.”

 

Steve stops in his tracks, and Loki smirks. “If you take another step, both mortals die.” The man whimpers, and Loki shakes him. “But, if Martha comes with me, I will let them both go.”

 

I gasp, panic rushing through my mind. I don’t want to go with him. But I can’t let the man die. And Natasha would have been able to get out of that hold by now, so I assume that he hurt her as well. “NO no no,” Steve shouts, as I take a step forward.

 

“Come on now, Martha. I haven’t got all day.” Loki smirks, and I take another step towards him.

 

“MARTHA!!! Don’t do this! STOP!!!” I don’t look back at Steve, but take a few long strides and reach Loki. His smirk grows, and he drops both Natasha and the man to the ground. The man jumps up and sprints away, and Natasha doesn't move at all. Loki grabs my arm roughly, and I wince. I hear Steve shout and run towards us, but Loki transports us somewhere, I really don’t know where. He drops me to the ground, smiling fully now. “That was easier than I expected.” He comments dryly.

 

“What are you even planning to do?” I whisper, terrified of the monster standing before me.

 

“I need to use your powers to fuel something. It will hurt, a lot, but its worth it in the end. Unless of course you don’t want to destroy the world like I destroyed your family, do you?” He chuckles harshly, turning on his heel and exiting the room we landed in. Before he slams the door shut, he adds, “Oh, and, sleep well.” The door slams, but I remember the room. Its solid concrete, a cube, and has no furniture.

A cell.

 

Steve’s POV

 

I call out for Martha as Loki grabs her. I can’t get there in time.

 

She’s gone.

 

I yell, and drop down to my knees. Why, oh why, was I so stupid. I shouldn’t have let her go. A hand falls on my shoulder, and Clint speaks. “We will get her back. But we need to get to base.” I nod numbly.

 

The trip back and the next few hours are a blur. I don’t say a word until we get to the Helicarrier, and then I barely speak, only to give tidbits of information. I sit at the table, lost in thought, when Natasha walks up to me. The guilt is clear on her face, and I sigh. “You need rest,” She commands.

 

I shake my head. She hands me a coffee, which I take gratefully. “Then go work out.” I nod, impassive.

 

I exercise, doing the hardest routine to take my mind off of her. I think i’m there for three hours, but I don’t care. There is no news on Martha, so I just sweat until I almost collapse. My vision is blurry, and my gait is lopsided. I stumble towards the exit to the gym, and run into the glass door. Ouch. I sink down to the floor, sinking into sleep, but fighting it all the way.

Natasha’s POV

 

I worry about Steve. I really do. He is stuck outside of his own time period, and is completely alone. Everyone he knew and loved is dead. It hurts me how sad he can be. He hides it well, fighting with the Avengers or just doing missions. But I know how it digs at him, and Fury does too. I finish debriefing a couple of agents, and sigh. I hope Steve’s alright. He told me about Martha, about how he may feel, and I know he must feel devastated, like this is his fault. But it’s not. And we’ll get her back. Nodding at Fury, I leave the chaotic bridge for the gym. It’s quieter on the walk, and I ponder why Loki would need Martha. It probably has something to do with her powers. I hope that’s the case. We, SHIELD, have been analyzing Martha, trying to find what exactly happened to her. But, we got nothing. We let her discover her own powers for herself. All the agents were told to stay away from her, to not talk to her, but I couldn’t stand her being lonely. I convinced Clint and Maria to befriend her with me. I hear a loud moan, and I start to sprint. I wince, my body still sore from the fight earlier today. Loki got the best of me, cutting off my oxygen well. The moan came from the gym area, and I behold a weird sight. Steve is laying awkwardly against the door, sleeping and twitching in his sleep. I reach him, and shake his shoulders. He pushed himself too far. “Steve, wake up. Steve!” I shout.

 

He groans and sits up, glancing at me blankly. “What, wait what?” He mumbles.

 

“You were asleep against a door. I woke you up.” I say matter-of-factly.

 

“Oh. That makes sense. Am I needed on the bridge?” He questions, hope sparkling in his eyes.

 

“Well, we’ve narrowed down their location to 4 square miles, and we need your help to get Martha back.” He stands up abruptly, getting back to his normal self.

 

“Good. Let’s get to work.” He fast-walks out of the room, with me trailing behind him.

 

Martha’s POV

 

I don’t know exactly how long I sat on the cold, hard ground. But it was a while. After Loki left, I sank to the ground, promising myself that I wouldn’t cry. A few tears leaked out as I formulated a plan in my head. It would help if I knew what Loki was planning. All I know for certain,

 

He killed my family.

 

He basically admitted to it. No, he did admit to it. He wants something from me, something that i’m not sure I have. Is he after my powers? If he is, let him take them. I’d rather not have them, they only seem to make things work. A harsh, grating noise splits the air, and a small rectangle of light appears by a wall. A tray is shoved there, and I move cautiously towards it. On the tray are what seems to be a couple of apples. The flap is shut again, and the room is cast into darkness once again. I scoot back, away from the ‘food’. I don’t trust Loki at all. I sigh loudly, leaning against the wall. I close my eyes, not that that’s any different, and fall into a shallow, fitful sleep.


	4. Loki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki has captured Martha, but what is his plan?

Loki’s POV

 

My plan is finally falling into place. Last time I tried to take over puny Midgard, it failed, but now my victory is certain. I have the girl, and her powers, and I will find a way to get that power out of her. She contains power greater than that of the Tesseract, Casket of Ancient Winters, and the Aether combined. But yet she doesn’t seem to know this. She is completely clueless. I may be able to convince her to join my side, but I have no mind control anymore. I will find a way. And it will be spectacular.

 

I walk through the old abandoned factory thats a makeshift base. I needed a place that I could destroy and is also out of the way. Well, I could destroy a lot of places. But I settled for this one. My servants, the many enemies of SHIELD, were doing menial tasks for me. I have ‘scientists’ working around the clock to create a machine that will concentrate the girl’s power and even take it out of her body. But that will done very soon, hopefully by tonight. Oh, there is no hopefully. I will make sure they finish it, and I will make sure that it works, or their blood will stain my hands. The corridors are dry and musky, and I cough from the dust. In order to get away from Asgard, I had to, well, fight my way out. Asgardian guards put up quite a fight. I sigh, the pain from my side returning. One of the guards caught me in the rib, crushing it. That will take a while to heal. But until then, someone else will do my dirty work. I reach the main room, the bottom floor of a factory. I have no clue what this factory used to produce, but I don’t really care. All i care about is the fact that it has an open floor, a high ceiling, and is hidden in plain sight. I believe it used to belong to “Stark Industries.” It may have produced weapons. A couple of men run over to me, surrounding me and protecting me. They are my bodyguards. This plan does not involve being taken to the enemy base, unlike my last plan. That plan did not, work. I ignore the scientists coming over to reassure me that the work on the machine would be ready soon, sending them back to work with a flick of my hand and an angry look. I have been told i’m a great actor. One woman comes up to me, and she I pay attention to. “My King, the prisoner refuses to eat.”

 

I perk my head up, a questioning look on my face. She turns and heads over to one of the many computers lined along the wall. She point to a monitor, which shows a grainy image of the mortal leaning against the wall, on the opposite side of the room from the tray of food. I need her to be strong, or else she may not survive the extraction process. I formulate a plan in my head, smirking on the outside, and sweep out of the room, not letting a word leave my lips.

 

I strolled down another corridor, reaching the dark room that held the mortal. I braced myself, and swung open the door. Stick to the plan Loki. Stick to the plan. She sits there, her back to the wall, her eyes shut, whimpering softly. It doesn’t affect me at all. I tut softly at myself, but this is the only way. I kneel down next to her, shushing her and slowly shaking her arm. “Wake up,” I whisper.

 

She woke up quickly, gasping as she saw me and scooting away. Exhaustion and hunger showed on her face. I shush her again, slowly moving back towards her. “I won’t hurt you. I’m sorry for how I treated you before, I am just so lonely in the world, I don’t know how to treat people.”

 

I swallow the bile that rises up my throat. All the BS is making me sick. She widens her eyes, surprised, and stops moving. I softly rest my hand on her arm, and smile sweetly at her. “I am sorry, Martha.”

Martha’s POV

 

What? What is Loki doing? First he kissed me, against my will, then he kidnapped me and left me in the dark, and now he’s sorry? Bipolar should be his middle name. His smile seems genuine, but with Loki its almost impossible to tell. He could kill someone and smile like he just spotted ice cream, if he likes ice cream. I’m exhausted, too tired to even move away from his hand. It rests lightly on my arm, and it doesn’t hurt in any way, like I expected it to do. His eyes shine with a, kind light? Is this the guy who tried to take over the Earth and killed thousands of people? I’m confused, and my brain is shutting down. I simply nod my head, and he relaxes, relieved? This is just plain weird. “You need to eat, to keep your strength up. Don’t want you to fade into nothingness, do we?” Loki’s voice is soft and cool, like a lullabye.

 

I shake my head, staring into Loki’s green eyes. I’m not exactly sure if they’re supposed to be green or blue(AN: Green or blue? In Thor, his eyes are green, but then the rest of the movies they’re blue. Kat confuz. Sry, back to story). He tsks me, putting more pressure on my arm with his hand. “I’m sorry for how you were treated. Follow me to better accommodations. Please.” His face is full of compassion, and his smile shrinks. He looks, kind and caring.

 

I don’t know whether or not to trust him, but he stands up, and reaches out his hand. I hesitate, running through the options in my head. Should I trust him? I tentatively reach out my hand. Trusting people is in my nature. Fury would fire me right on the spot if he saw this. But exhaustion messes with my thoughts. His smile widens hugely, even larger than it was before. He pulls me off the floor with a strong hand, which knocks off my balance. I crash into his chest, sighing. He grips my shoulders, pushing me back a little from him. So he doesn’t like physical contact. He apologizes, something he does a lot, and it truly unlike his character. The corners of my lips twitch up in a small smile, against my will. I take a tentative step forward, exhaustion and hunger weighing down on me. I stumble slightly, but regain my balance with Loki’s help. I ignore him, taking another step and almost collapsing. Loki picks me up bridal style, and I protest  
quietly. He stops me, “Please, let me help you. I hate hurting people, it’s horrible to me.”

 

I sigh once again, relaxing into Loki’s arms. I can almost feel the happiness radiating off of him, and I close my eyes. I jolt slightly as Loki walks, and he strides at a fast pace. I expected him to. He travels for about 5 minutes, until he stops in front of a door. If you weren't looking hard enough, you wouldn’t notice it. My eyes are open now, and I start to move out of his arms. He holds me tight, opening the door with one hand and keeping the other on me. I don’t feel any kind of spark from him, not like the one I that shocks me everytime I touch Steve. My mind drifts to Steve, and I hope he’ll find me soon. Loki may be kind now, but I don’t entirely trust him. Loki enters the room, and I nearly gasp. It is a bedroom, with green walls, black floors and ceiling, and a gold bed against the wall. There are dressers and mirrors, a closet, a bathroom, everything. Loki walks over to the bed, softly placing me on the smooth silk sheets. “This will be your room for the time being. I will be right down the hall if you need me. Do you want to sleep or eat first?” He asks quietly.

 

I sit silent for a moment, then reply in a cracked voice, “Sleep.”

 

He smiles at my reply, turning to leave the room.

 

“Loki.” I call after him. He turns back around. “Thank you.”

 

His smile grows wider, and he leaves the room without another room. I lay back on the bed, almost immediately falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

 

Loki’s POV

 

UGH UGH UGH I CANNOT BELIEVE I DID THAT. I touched that slime of a mortal! I need to burn all the skin that was in contact with the air it breathed!!! “Calm down Loki! This is essential to the plan!” I tell myself out loud, trying my hardest to console myself. I shudder through my entire body, picking up the pace to reach the control room, where I supervise the progress with a cruel eye.

Martha’s POV

 

I don’t know how long i’ve been here anymore. I guess you could say Loki and I were, friends. He would come and talk to me everyday, and I would tell him things that weren't too personal. But, he would reply with his own personal story. I know everything. He’s a frost giant, taken from his home at birth. He was told he was an Odinson, part of the royal family. His life only consisted of the lies Odin told him, until his true parentage was explained to him. All his plans, all his feelings were shown to me. I took pity on him, not that i’ll ever tell him that. After this knowledge was presented to me, I explained my life to him. It’s no where near as tragic as his, but hurt still showed. Loki comforted me, and when I confronted him about killing my family, he replied with, “I did not kill your family. I thought that your family still lived, and that it would break you. I am truly sorry. I did not know of my actions back then.” His tone soothed my worries.

 

I lived in the room for quite some time, having food brought to me and occasionally leaving it when it was necessary. I don’t know what to make of Loki, but he only visited me once a day. I woke up, ate, talked to Loki, ate again, then went back to sleep. I hope SHIELD, Steve finds me soon.

 

Steve’s POV

 

I hit the wall with frustration. Another area, no Martha. The first time SHIELD said they had found them, they sent in a team to scout the area. Nothing. No sign of them. We returned, dejected, and the agents recalculated. It has been 8 days, and 8 different futile searches. Nada. I almost don’t want to put myself through the rejection. But I still go. We will find them. Natasha has been kind, caring, and it puts me in a better mood. Someone speaks over the intercom, reminding our team to get to Hanger 1 in 2 minutes. I walk slowly to the plane, not noticing my surroundings. A plan is formulating in my mind. I have this wonderful feeling that today will be the day we find her. Fury said that if she is gone for 3 weeks, we should give up. The regular time is 1 week, but Fury has a soft spot for her. I reach the plane, seeing the rest of my team there. Hill, Coulson, Clint, Natasha, and a couple of other agents nod at me. I settle into my seat, reading up on where we are headed. It’s an old weapons factory, one run by Stark Industry. It was shut down, so this is ideal for Loki. The ride there is bumpy, turbulence hitting us hard. But we reach the factory, and it is humming with light. A large smile creeps onto my face, and I tell my plan to my team. They agree, and we move. I go in first, as a distraction, while the other agents move around the building, looking for Loki and Martha. This better work. This location is the first to actually have a building of some sorts.

 

My target is the large doors at the front of the factory, weak from old age. The other agents each find a small point to slip into the building, and I wait a full minute before I sprint towards the door and kick them open. I have my shield, and I raise it up. The entire floor is full of scientists, and a couple of men with guns. A few shoot at me, and the rest run towards me. This will be fun.

 

The scientists scurry out of the room to who knows where. I take on the first couple of men. They’re strong, well built brutes, but they only use their fists. I kick the first one in the face, knocking him out. I turn around and punch another right in the nose, and he staggers back. I kick his chest, sending him backwards, and flip through the air, onto another man. I continue to fight them, using every trick in the book. The corners of my mouth twitch up in a smile, and in a matter of minutes they all lay at my feet, out cold. I step over their bodies, and look up a when someone whistles for me. Standing on a balcony that overlooks the floor, is Natasha, and next to her is a smiling Martha. I smile fully back up at them, and the rest of the team arrives at different places. Clint is holding an unconscious Loki, whose bleeding profusely from many places. His hands are cuffed, and his head is tilted back at an uncomfortable angle. “Let’s get back to base.” I command, my spirits thoroughly lifted.


	5. Martha's Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Martha is saved from Loki's clutches, but what happens with her and Steve?

Martha’s POV

 

Today started of relatively normal. If you call being held in a factory by a god normal. But anyways, I woke up, ate some food that I don’t remember what exactly, talked to Loki for about the same period of time, and then ate some more food that I don’t remember. Loki and I didn’t talk about anything specific. We talked about food, flowers, and animals. Loki wanted to know about the animals of Midgard, so I talked about lions, tigers, and bears, Oh my! His confusion was evident when I said that. He left after about an hour, and nothing interesting happened. As I lay on my bed though, yelling and fighting echoed through the halls. I sat up slowly, not wanting to get involved. The sounds stopped, and I held my breath. Footsteps ran up to my door, and a person hit the walls, probably to find a door. I didn’t move a muscle, my breathing almost non-existent. The door swung open, ripped off its hinges, and I jumped up. Natasha stood in the doorway, smiling at me. She ran over to me and hugged me tightly. “Thank god you’re alright!”

 

I hugged her back, glad to have finally been rescued. She pulled back, checking me over for injuries. “Are you alright?” Her voice was worried.

 

“I’m fine. I’m fine, nobody hurt me.” I reassured her.

 

She nodded quickly, tears of joy forming in her eyes. “Everyone thought you were dead. I can’t lose you, you’re too good of a friend. Even Fury seemed upset. Steve wouldn’t stop looking for you. He rarely slept. You’ve affected him, Martha. I don’t know if it’s in a good way.” She babbled.

 

Shock must have shown on my face, but Natasha ignored it. “Come on, we need to go find the others.”

 

“Others? Who else is here?”

 

“Steve, Clint, Maria, Phil, and the rest of our team, Sam and Rebecca.”

 

I smile happily, relaxing. Natasha pulls me out of the room, speeding down the hallway. I follow quickly behind her, memorizing the corridors. We hurry to an open area, and I gasp. Steve, in his full uniform, stands surrounded by many, many unconscious or dead men. They were, huge. They must have been Loki’s bodyguards or something. Steve looked at me, relief shining in his blue mesmerizing gaze. “Let’s get back to base.” He stated calmly, not caring that he managed to knock out over 20 men.

 

I shuddered, following Natasha down the ladder to the floor. The entire team was there, and Clint was holding up Loki. His condition seemed rough, but I didn’t want anyone to know that I had talked with him. I have common sense. Steve walked over to me, enveloping me in a huge hug. It was nice, but crushing. “Are you alright? Please tell me Loki didn’t hurt you! I couldn’t-”

 

I cut him off. “I’m fine. I’m not hurt. But you are squishing me!” My voice was quiet and suffocated.

 

He quickly let go of me, the fear that he had hurt me in his eyes. I laughed softly at him, noticing Natasha staring strangely at us. Was that, jealousy? What? Steve took my hand and pulled me to the plane waiting outside. I settled into a seat, while Steve and the rest of the team hovered over me. I continued to reassure them that I was perfectly fine, but they didn’t stop, not even after we got to base. The entire trip Loki was out cold, but I couldn’t do anything, otherwise my team would figure out that we conversed. I longed to help him, but my restraint and common sense won. We reached the Hellcarrier, and Loki was taken away. A medical team searched me, but found no injuries. My team fussed over me, bringing me to the bridge and informing Fury that I had been found. For some reason, the communications on the ship were down. Fury showed emotion and happiness, and it put me into a great mood. The rest of the day was spent doing test to guarantee that I was alright, talking with people, and getting caught up on everything. Apparently, Loki did not control the creature spike, so that continued to be looked into. But, at the end of the day, I returned to my room and promptly fell asleep, a smile on my face. No dreams influenced my sleep.

 

Martha’s POV

 

I woke up, refreshed. That’s a great way to start a day, no sarcasm intended. I jump out of my bed, taking in my familiar surroundings. Air fills my lungs as I sprint to the mirror, energy speeding through my veins. I smile happily, running a comb through my unruly hair. Entering the bathroom, I shower quickly, brush my teeth, and do everything I need to do to be ready for today. About to leave my room, I realize I never actually looked at my clock. I spin around, laughing when I notice that is 4:12 am. I’m never up this early, especially without coffee. I pass by the night guard leaving their posts, their exhausted eyes going right over me. I nod at them, a content smile plastered on my face. I got a couple of weird looks, but that was to be expected. I was kidnapped by a god and held there for a week or so. I reach the bridge, refreshed and smiling. There were very few agents there, the bare necessity needed to keep the Hellcarrier flying smoothly and not in the sea. I nod politely at them, a few surprised to see me. The rest are so brain dead they wouldn’t notice or care if the Human Torch destroyed their computers (not that he would, he’s too nice of a guy, just a little obnoxious. Okay, a lot obnoxious.) There are usually at least 15 agents, but I only count 4. I spot Maria, and head over to her. She’s always awake, always working. It’s a good and bad trait of hers. She grins back at me, motioning me over.

 

“Up early, are we?” She starts.

 

“Yeah, slept well, got up, ready to be productive.” I readily answer, my energy lifting the spirits of the bridge.

 

“At least one of us is. Everyone sleeping, the effort of the last week drained them.”

 

“Last week?”

 

“Yea, searching for Loki and you.”

 

“Wait, I didn’t want that to happen I’m-”

 

“If you say you’re sorry I will punch you. We all wanted to find Loki, to make him pay for what he did to New York. Taking you probably helped us find him.”

 

“Well, I still am sorry. And don’t punch me!” I duck from her, not wanting to get hit.

 

She laughs. “I won’t punch you. Help out here, Fury and some other agents will obviously want to debrief you later.”

 

“But now, I will fly a Hellcarrier.”

 

“Hellcarrier?”

 

“Yeah, it’s my new nickname for this hunk of flying metal.”

 

“Nice, you should mention that to Fury.”

 

“And get my head cut off? No thanks, I’ll just do work.”

 

“Good choice. Now get to work!”

 

I jump away from Maria, heading to the nearest open computer, which wasn’t far. I smile up at Maria, starting to work.  
\---------------

 

I stand up, my energy boost still going strong. I started to work over 4 hours ago, and we had fun at the bridge. But now, there are more agents milling around the computers. The numbers are still considerably less than normal, and still rising. I walk, almost skipping, over to Fury, following him to a debriefing room. I’m not sure exactly what to say, but I won’t tell him about Loki and I talking. Fury and I make light conversation as we walk, him commenting on my enthusiasm and joy that I woke up with. I just laughed, not really sure why my mood was so bright. We reached the room, a standard interrogation room, except this one is meant for agents, so it’s more friendly and inviting. I have been to debriefings before, so I know what it’s like. The atmosphere is calm and relaxed, and we are about to start when Steve walks in. I smile up at him, as he takes a seat across the table. In the room are Fury, Steve, me, Rebecca, and Phil. Watching invisibly(or that’s what they think) are Natasha and Clint.

 

We start, and I tell them of what happened, from the kidnapping to my rescue. I leave out the part of Loki and I conversing, and instead elaborate more on how Loki acted when he first kidnapped me. I am still confused on how he normally acts, but his actions there made more sense. Steve seemed uncomfortable, like he wanted to punch Loki in the nose, but as the story went on and I mentioned how little we spoke(a lie), he relaxed and leaned back in his chair. I finished, my mood still bright and cheery, and Fury nodded curtly.

 

“That’s all we need from you, Martha.”

 

I smile at him using my first name, and get up to leave. Steve follows me out the door, calling after me.

 

“Martha, do you, um, well, maybe, do you..”

 

“Yes Steve?”

 

“Do you want to maybe, um, go on... a date with me?” Steve smiles sheeplishly at me, and I’m taken aback.

 

“Of course!” I reply steadily, even happier then before.

 

“Really? I mean, yeah, so I’ll pick you up from your room, at 7?”

 

“Great! See you then Steve!” My smile is from ear to ear. I lean over and kiss his cheek, leaving the hallway to get back to work.

 

Steve asked me out!!!

Martha’ POV

 

I step out of the shower, examining my appearance in the fogged-up mirror. Smiling, I comb through my hair. My excitement from about 5 hours ago still hasn’t worn off, but I don’t want it too. I softly hum ‘Who We Are’ by Imagine Dragons and change into a medium length, purple/blue dress. After Steve asked me out, I almost skipped back to the bridge. I threw myself into various projects, energy spiking my veins once again. I’m glad I got put on this project with Steve, because I met him. Although kidnapping involved itself, there were no injuries sustained. It is currently 6:12, so I have time. I blow dry my hair, returning it to its natural fluffy, straight length. I smile at myself, putting the smallest amount of mascara on. It’s more of a comfort thing than an appearance thing. 6:31. Good. I step into flats and shrug on a light black sweater. I wear my favorite necklace, one with a small star shaped pendant. This is probably the most formal thing I have worn in the past 5 years. I hope it’s not too much. By the time I make sure everything is perfect, or as perfect as it’s going to get, I hear a soft, cautious knock on my door. I smile, checking the clock. 7:00 on the nose. I laugh silently to myself, walking over to the door and opening it. The sight takes my breath away. Steve, uncomfortably shifting feet, abruptly stops and stares at me. He stands in a light grey shirt, blue tie, and brown pants. He smiles up at me. “Wow, you look... gorgeous.”

 

I laugh softly, a soft blush covering my cheeks. “And you, handsome.”

 

He smiles, a tiny blush on his cheeks. Captain America, blushing. Something I thought would never happen. He offers his arm to me, and I take it, linking mine with his. He grins, leading me down the hallway. The silence is nice, not suffocating and not awkward at all. It’s, it shows that we can be silent together. I have a problem with that. As we slowly walk through the hallways, I notice a lack of agents. Are they all still sleeping? I break the silence, hesitantly, to ask, “Well then, Mr. Handsome, may I ask where we are going?”

 

He chuckles, staring down into my eyes. “A surprise,” is all he says.

 

I smile, trusting him. He’s following the familiar path to the bridge, an interesting place to chose. We reach the center of operations, and I gasp softly. The walls are draped in red cloth, and there is a table set up. The room is glowing with candlelight, and somewhere a lone violin plays a beautiful melody. The table, adorned with a single rose, is also covered in a red table cloth, and the entire room appears as the fanciest restaurant in California. Steve leads me over to the table, pulling my chair back like a gentleman. He smiles dashingly at me, and I giggle like a school girl. I sit down, watching him as he takes his own seat. A few waiters, not agents, come in and put food in front of us. I thank them, taking in my steak while Steve has, some food that I don’t know the name of. I start to eat slowly, striking up a conversation with Steve. We eat and talk, about anything and everything. I tell him about some hilarious stories from SHIELD, and he tell me about how he managed to get a flag down from a pole before he had the serum injected. The atmosphere is light and we smile and joke about everything. The candlelight flickers over his face, highlighting his beautiful blue eyes and prominent facial features. The violin plays in the background, and the entire thing is just romantic. We finish the meal, including dessert, and I can’t count how many times I have effectively made a fool of myself. Steve stands up, taking my hand like the gentleman I know he is.

 

“Follow me.”

 

“I shall stay with you.”

 

He laughs at this, leading me to... somewhere. As we walk, we get to talking.

 

“Thank you for the wonderful dinner Steve.”

 

“My pleasure. A beautiful lady deserves anything I can give her.”

 

“Quite the smooth talker.”

 

“I just speak the truth.”

 

We reach a ladder, and Steve climbs up first. I’m glad, because then he could look up my dress. The ladder goes to the roof of the Hellcarrier. Good thing we’re in the water right now. I follow him up, the sunset casting a breathtaking light on everything. “Wow.” I breathe.

 

“Not as amazing as the lady next to me right now.”

 

I giggle softly, kissing his cheek again. He seems to enjoy it, but then again, in his time period it probably means something more. We both settle on the metal roof, the sun’s dying rays casting an unrealistic glow on Steve’s face. He puts his arm around my shoulder cautiously, and I lean my head on his shoulder. We watch the sunset, oblivious to the world around us. Once the sun left the sky for the moon’s reign, Steve mentioned sleep. I mumbled in agreement, letting him help me stand up. We trace back our steps to my room, making small talk on the way back. We reach my room, and we both don’t want to leave. In an act of bravery, I say goodnight and softly kiss Steve’s lips for a millisecond. It’s not long, but it’s bliss. I never want to stop kissing him, but I know that I have to. I pull away, noticing the blush on Steve’s cheeks. I duck my head shyly, saying good night and slowly closing the door. I hear Steve slowly walk away, mirroring my actions with the door. I don’t regret kissing Steve. I change into my PJ’s quickly, too excited to sleep. I lay in my bed, eventually drifting to a peaceful, deep sleep.


	6. Love at First Sight?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first date is over, and romance is brewing between Steve and Martha.

Steve’s POV

 

That was the best evening of my life.

 

When I got to her door at 7, she looked, amazing. Her hair was perfect, the dress fit her beautifully, and I wondered how I got so lucky to have met her. I think Fury purposely put me on this project with her. He would do that. Her expression when she saw the table and decor I had agents help me set up, priceless. I knew in that exact moment that all I ever wanted in my life, needed in my life, was her. Martha looked radiant, ravishing in the candlelight, and it took all my self control to not kiss her. The dinner tasted divine, and I hoped with all my heart that she agreed. I wanted this first date to be perfect, memorable, and the start to a great relationship. After the full meal, I took her to my favorite spot on the Helicarrier, or the Hellcarrier as she named it. This is where I would escape from the confusing mess that is modern day, and simply watch the sunset. I went here after missions, when I missed Bucky, and whenever I was upset. It calms me down, and Martha seemed to love it. I take it she’s a sunset person. The colors of the dying sun highlighted her face, and I couldn't stop staring. I hope she didn't notice.

 

I never wanted the night to end, but the sun went down, and I had to let her go back to her room to sleep. I took my time walking there, setting a slow pace, but we reached the room too soon. My thoughts drift to the way that she kisses my cheek, and I think she likes me. I don’t know if cheek-kissing is as important now as it was back then, but I sincerely wish it is. I smiled happily, reaching her doorway. I hear her say goodnight, but all I can concentrate on is the fact that she is leaning closer to me. She softly, shyly, presses her lips to mine, and i’m shocked. But before I can kiss her back, she pulls away. It felt so right, her lips against mine, and I wanted to pull her to me. Embarrassment shows on her face, and she quickly closes the door. I want, no I need to kiss her again, so I stand there for a minute. But I don’t want to move it too quickly, to scare her away, so I turn slowly and pad away to my room. Outside my room, Clint smirks at me. “Have a good time?”

 

I smile back at him, thoroughly happy but needing more. “Yes, a wonderful time.”

 

Clint grins at me, like he knows something I don’t. “Oh, did Steve get kissed by a girl? Steve and Martha, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-”

 

I put my hand over his mouth, not contradicting him. His eyebrows raise up so fast I thought they would fly off his face. He mumbles something, my hand blocking his words. The smile doesn’t leave my face, and I slowly remove my hand. “Ohhh, Steve you are the man. A kiss on the first date! Was it on the cheek?”

 

I almost don’t want to tell him, but I do. He’s my closest friend. “No, on the lips.”

 

His face lights up with childish excitement. “Steve! Get some!”

 

I huff at him, pushing past him to enter my room. “Go to sleep, Clint.” I close the door on him.

 

He whined in protest, but after a few minutes I heard him walk away. I chuckled to myself, quickly changing and falling asleep.

Martha’s POV

 

I wake up, smiling. Two days in a row of good mornings. Wow, can this get better? I spring out of bed, laughing at myself. Steve has put me in such a good mood, it’s kinda scary. I get ready quickly, and organize parts of my room. When i’m really happy or energetic, I organize. it’s my thing. I hear a knock on my door, and I put the snow globe from Washington DC down. Assuming its a mission, I call out, “Yello?”

 

“Orange?” A very confused voice calls back.

 

I start laughing loudly, knowing it’s Steve. I open the door, my smile brightening. “Hey Steve! What can I help you with?”

 

He grins back at me, obviously perplexed. “I came here to ask if you wanted to get breakfast with me.”

 

“Of course! Mama’s gotta eat!” I lower my voice for the second part, and Steve laughs with me.

 

He takes my hand and leads me to the cafeteria, more like the cafe-deteriorate. I suck at puns. “So, how did you sleep Steve?” I ask him sweetly.

 

“Like a rock.” He obviously slept well. He has energy, so...

 

“That sounds painful. Sleeping like a rock, do you mean Dwayne Johnson?”

 

“Who?”

 

“He’s a wrestler, nickname the Rock, oh never mind. Anything particular you dreamed of?” I give my most innocent face.

 

“Well, I dreamed of this beautiful girl. Her hair is the color of the finest gold, her eyes sparkle and the stars envy her, her cheeks flush when she is complemented, and she has the best personality! So kind and sweet, but not afraid to stand up for herself! If only you could met her!” Steve stated dreamily.

 

I pretend to be interested. “Oh, tell me, how are her lips?”

 

Steve sighs overdramatically. “Oh, they are heaven in themselves. Their so soft, so warm, so full, but they cannot compare to the rest of her. She is an amazing kisser, though.”

 

I roll my eyes at him, but we reach the Cafeteria. I notice the time, 9:18. Wow, people let me sleep in late. I grab my breakfast, an omelette and milk. The large Cafeteria may be a tiny bit run down, but the food here is amazing! Fury loves food, so he has employed real chefs here. We’re good friends, they’re all really nice. Steve grabbed a breakfast burrito and some orange juice, and we take a table. The room is buzzing, as it always is, and there are about 30 some agents. The sounds of raucous laughter, the humming of electronics, and the loud intercom that calls for ignorant agents, surround us. As we sit down, Tony comes and joins us quickly, smiling deviously. “Weeellll, hello there! I have heard a’many things about last night. Set the rumors straight!”

 

Steve looks puzzled. “Last night? I took Martha for a date, which I hoped she enjoyed, and then sadly we parted ways.”

I almost giggle at his way of speaking, but Tony boos. “You guys are no fun. And by the way, Martha, Fury said he needs to see you after you finish eating. On the bridge. Kk, ttyl, brb, gtg.”

 

I raise an eyebrow at Steve as Tony leaves, shrugging. “Well that was fun. Time to eat.”

 

Steve smiles back at me, already eating. We eat quickly, not really talking unless we needed to. I enjoy every last bite of my meal, finishing at the same time as Steve. We both get up, and on the way to the bridge I tell him the funniest story about Clint and Natasha. It was the time that we were in training, and Natasha accidentally kicked Clint in the nuts. Steve laughed, but he should have been there. It was hilarious.

 

We reached the bridge, and Fury stood there, monitoring everything happening. He noticed me and turned away from his 4 computer screens. “Hello, Martha. Glad to see you’re up.”

 

“Sorry, didn’t wake up as early as I wanted to.” I apologized.

 

Fury dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “No matter. Today, I have a... task for you.”

 

He pauses, and I hear Steve shuffle behind me. “I want you to interrogate Loki.”

 

I almost laugh in relief. The way he said it, I thought it would be like to jump off the Hellcarrier. Steve tenses, though. “No no no no, I cannot let her do that, sir.”

 

Fury shakes his head. “Rogers, I need this information. He said she’s the only one he will speak to. And I know that it seems unsafe, but he is in an unbreakable cell.”

 

“But, sir, it’s not safe-” Steve objects.

 

“No, it is. That’s an order, Captain. Get ready Martha, you’ll be in the outside area alone. You’ll be safe.” I nod quickly, not wanting to start a fight.

 

I turn around, walking out of the bridge, dragging a reluctant Steve behind me. We exit the area, and I confront him. “Steve, I know you don’t want me to go in there, but it’s perfectly safe, and i’ll be fine, and i’ll get the information, and then everything will be alright. Trust me, Steve.”

 

Steve shifts feet, not at all agreeing with my decision. I take his hand softly, smiling at him. Natasha walks to us, handing me a card that will let me into the cage area. Steve stiffens again, but lets me take the pass. I kiss his cheek. “You can watch from the control room, you’ll see everything going on. Just trust me, Steve.”

 

He nods after a few seconds, letting me walk away.

 

I hope i’ll walk back from the cell.

 

Martha POV

 

I take a deep, shuddering breath. I can do this. I can do this. I can’t do this. I reassured Steve that I could interrogate Loki, get him to see my side of things, but I definitely don’t think that. Steve shouldn't worry, he has too much on his plate to worry about me. I kinda hope he does, but at the same time I don’t. I reach the room that holds Loki’s cell. This cell is stronger than the last, built by Asgardians and other realms. They all want to keep Loki locked up, especially the Asgardians. I open the doors using my pass, and the guards on duty glance at me. They head out of the room, and I take another deep breath. The outside area of the cell gleams with the look of fresh metal and strength. The cell wall, slightly blurry, separates me and Loki. I turn to look at the camera, giving Steve a thumbs up. I smile at him, not letting my fear show. When I spun back around, Loki stared straight at me. “What.” He growled.

 

I attempted to act like I cared. “I’m here to help, Loki.”

 

“No. Go away.” He faced the other wall, away from me.

 

Loki is incredibly bipolar. I know that better than anyone else. “I won’t. We both know I won’t.”

 

“I wish you would.” His voice, it’s drained, lifeless. What happened? I voiced this out loud to him.

 

“Nothing.” He shuffles a tiny amount.

 

I sigh at him loudly. “We both know that if you tell me, this will be a lot less painful.”

 

“Than what? Torture? Betrayal? Being cast out by the only people you have ever known? Trust me, it will not be ‘a lot less painful.’” His words are menacing, but his tone of voice is completely neutral.

 

“I’m only here to help, Loki.” I repeated, trying to get into his skull.

 

Something in him snaps, because he springs up and slams his foot into the substance of the wall. It fizzes, and sends an electric shock through his body. “Are you? Are you really? Because there’s nothing that can help me, nothing! Get that through your thick mortal head!!!”

 

I step back, and hear footsteps run to the door. Meanwhile, Loki continues his little speech. “Are you so daft, Agent, that you can’t see the truth. I never was your friend! I never cared! I never liked you! I needed to get you to trust me, and you did! But, oh no, you did the worst! You showed me how MUCH OF A MONSTER I REALLY AM!!!!” Loki is practically screaming, spitting the words, while i stand there frozen.

 

Steve managed to open the door after this, grabbing my arm roughly. I say nothing, just giving Loki the kindest, most understanding look I can muster. He sneers at me, and Steve pulls me out of the room. I make no objections, just follow Steve, still processing everything Loki said. More like screamed. But before I could come up with any theories, we’re in the gym of the Hellcarrier. Steve starts to pace, and I stand there. I wait for him to say something, anything, but only silence greets my ears. I open my mouth to speak, but Steve stops me. “Martha. Martha, Martha, Martha, I’m so sorry. I shouldn't have let you go in there alone. I shouldn't have. I put you in danger, and I shouldn't have. I’m sorry, sorr-” I cut him off by grabbing his shoulders.

 

“Steve, it’s okay. I’m fine. He didn't do anything.” Steve shrugs out of my grip.

 

“So? He could have, and I wasn't there to protect you.” He faces me, a look of desperation on his face.

 

“But if he was going to hurt me, you still got to me before he could.” As I say this, I know it’s the wrong thing to say. The hurt in his eyes, pains me.

 

“I, I could have gotten there for Bucky. But I put him in harms’ way, and now he’s dead, fallen off the side of a mountain. But I couldn't get to him before he fell. If only I could!”

 

Now I understand, this must have reminded him of back in the war when his friend was killed on a mission. He walks over to me, pulling me close to him. He’s close enough to me that if I leaned in just a hair, I would be kissing him.

 

Steve closed the distance between our lips, pressing his to mine with a sense of urgency and need. Unlike last time, when the kiss was gentle and short, this was not. It was hot, rough, and passionate, and definitely not short. I melted into the embrace, kissing Steve back with as much fire and love as I could manage. Our lips moved in sync, and his hand went to the small of my back. He softly and lightly licked my bottom lip, and I allowed him entrance.

 

We were standing near a wall, and he pushed me back towards it, putting some of his weight on me. I ran a hand down the front of his shirt, the smooth muscles rippling. I kissed him harder and deeper, and he explored my mouth thoroughly. The kiss was a well-timed dance, that will hopefully be practiced again and again. His hand ran from my cheek to my hair, while his lips pressed onto mine, taking my breath away. He tasted sweet, like I expected, and I licked his bottom lip. He pulled away slightly, just to whisper, “Don’t ever talk to Loki again, Martha.”

 

I nodded slightly, allowing him to claim my mouth with his, allowing every fiber of my being to be his. I really think I love him, but this is perfect for right now. The kiss grew more heated, our lips moving more roughly, our hands roaming. Right when I thought I would die of lust and happiness, someone coughed. The first time, we ignored it, but the second time, Steve pulled back from me. I panted quietly.

 

Tony stood in the doorway to the gym, smirking at us. “Banner and I want you to the lab to work on some new technology.”

 

I blush slightly, unaware that Steve is too. Tony turns to leave, but adds, “Good job Steve.” over his shoulder.


	7. Partying with Tony Stark, a Bad Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More romance.

Martha’s POV

 

I do paperwork awkwardly in the lab, watching as Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk, and Tony help Steve to calibrate a new wristband. Apparently, it will help tell the Avengers where their teammates are, or something along those lines. I work on my own project, trying to pinpoint some more demonic activity, and really not finding anything. I set my tracker to document where and when each demon had appeared. I made my own tracker for these kinds of projects, and it gets me any kind of information I want about it. It’s one of my biggest achievements. A few other agents use my tracker, but most of them have never heard nor seen it. That’s the way I like it.

 

I relax for a moment, rolling my shoulders to stretch them out. There’s a routine to Tony, Bruce, and Steve. Tony makes a horrible pun/joke, Bruce rolls his eyes at him, and Steve questions him about it. This repeats over and over and over, and it’s making my head hurt. I glance up at the ‘Three Stooges’, as I now call them, and watch as Tony tries to explain an anklet sort thing to Steve. It’s the new adrenaline anklet, and when you need adrenaline, it gives it to you. I would never wear it, and it seems Steve won’t either. Bruce just works quietly at the back of the lab, obviously used to Tony’s weirdness. I like Tony, he’s kinda grown on me. I’d miss that sarcasm, that ego, and the fact that he always has food or alcohol on him. Steve and Tony start to argue, until Steve firmly tells him no and Tony moves onto his next piece of equipment for him to coax Steve to use.

 

I chuckle softly to myself, moving to help Bruce. He’s designing a new scientific instrument that is more efficient at categorizing objects that agents find. I start to calibrate some of the sensors of it when Fury and Hill march into the room. I stand straight, nodding respectfully to Fury. I assume he’s here to talk to the Three Stooges. But, he stares back at me. “Martha. I have good news for you. Hill, Coulson, and myself have talked this through. You will be the newest Avenger. We will move you to the Avenger’s wing, and you will train and fight with them. Welcome to the team.” He smiles at me.

 

I am taken aback. They want me, ordinary Martha, to join the legendary Avengers? They saved the world! I didn’t! The Three Stooges stare at Fury and me. Fury obviously noticed my shock and disbelief, and chuckles. “You deserve it. You’re respectful, smart, resourceful, a good fighter, and you are need on this team. Get acquainted with them.” He nods and sweeps out of the lab.

 

Hill smiles at me, coming over to give me a hug. I slowly hug her back, shocked. “Congradulations! I knew you could do it!” She whispered in my ear.

 

She let go of me and took a step back. Tony walked over to me and gave me a hearty pat on the back. “Congrats, kid. Now you get to join the insane train.” He chuckles, and I smile at him.

 

Bruce comes over and congratulates me, and Steve is the last one to. He appears a little annoyed, but overall happy. He grins broadly at me. “Congratulations, Martha! This is great news!” His face lights up when I hug him, and I smile into his shoulder. I’m a lot shorter than him.

 

I’m really happy i’m on the team, I really am, but i’m frightened. I’m not ready to fight the worst villains of the Earth. What if I mess up? What if I fail, and end up hurting any of my teammates? What if I get killed? “You’ll do great.” Steve whispered into my ear.

I sigh happily, stepping back from Steve. Tony puts his hand on my shoulder, which causes Steve to stiffen. “How bout, to celebrate, we grab Thor and a pint down at my favorite place, eh?”

Tony offers.

 

“Sure, why not. Wait, Thor is here?” I wonder.

 

“Yeah, we called him in from Asgard to help with Loki. He’s in the Avengers wing, which we will move you into at some point. Not yet though, now is time to go party and celebrate!” Tony whoops.

 

I giggle at Tony, stepping out from under his arm. I take Steve’s hand, watching him as I reply to Tony. “Good. Let’s get going, shall we ladies?”

 

Tony oohs, smirking and leaving the room with Bruce in tow. I follow him with Steve, laughing at Tony as he bounds around the hallways. We move to a more furnished, colorful wing of the Hellcarrier. I had never been here before, because I had never been needed here. But now I think I live here, which means I live closer to Steve. I stand on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek, knowing it means a lot to him. We reach a room, where Tony runs right in without knocking. I stay outside, not wanting to invade anyone’s privacy *cough cough Tony cough cough*. Voices resonate within the room, and then Tony walks out with Thor, who I have never met before. God of Thunder and Biceps. Damn, dude. He didn’t skip leg day. Off topic, me. Tony introduces me to Thor, who hugs me tightly, which hurt.

 

“Who’s ready to party?” Tony states.

 

I was not prepared.

Martha’s POV

 

Wow. Tony knows how to party.

 

After we left the Hellcarrier for Tony’s favorite bar/club, it became, interesting. The bar/club was called the “Five Drunk Men.” This alone should have convinced me to leave, but sadly I didn’t move fast enough. The five of us, Tony, Thor, Bruce, Steve, and me, entered an interesting environment. The inside was a basic nightclub, with older touches. All the walls were wooden, and combined with black floors and modern chairs, it clashed in a good way. Loud, almost obnoxious pop music blared from the speakers. Many sweaty, drunk or tipsy young adults spazzed on the dance floor. I nearly laughed at how ridiculous it all looked. I rolled my eyes at Tony, who chuckled. We moved to the bar, where we all got a round. I raised my eyebrow at Tony. “Please tell me you drink.” Tony pleaded.

 

I sighed, nodding at Tony. “I never really have before.”

 

Tony gasped at me, his faked shock face making me laugh. “Try it!”

 

I shake my head at him, not willing to drink alcohol. He pouts, downing his own drink. Thor drinks all of his in one rather large gulp, and then Bruce tentatively sips his own. “Come on, Martha.” Tony begs me, giving me hilarious puppy dog eyes.

 

I shake my head at him, using my strongest glare against him. He continues to drink, Thor laughing loudly. Steve sits awkwardly, not drinking anything. I move over to him, shouting loudly in his ear to be heard over the music. “I know of a really beautiful place near here. Want to go?” I ask.

 

He smiles happily at me, obviously glad to get out of the club. We both stand up, striding past Tony, Thor and Bruce. Tony and Thor already seem drunk, and Bruce just looks incredibly uncomfortable. Steve takes my hand, pulling me past all the drunk people in the club. When we get outside into the nice, clear, cool night(AN: my timings a bit off), I lead Steve towards my favorite park. The nightclub is located in New York, not New York City though. More south, in a beautiful little city. It’s not very crowded, and the nature there is perfect. It’s one of my favorite places. After a couple minutes of walking, we reach a park towards the middle of the city, away from all the hubub. Together, we sit on a bench, relaxing in the cool crisp air, so different from the stuffed club. “You know Martha, you never cease to amaze me.” Steve state after a minute of calm silence.

 

I turn my head to look at him. “Oh how, pray tell, do I do that?” I wonder.

 

“Well first, you now this perfect spot in a city. Not to mention the fact that you’re beautiful, sweet, kind, caring, funny, and just perfect.” Steve says wistfully, staring at the starry night sky.

 

“I love parks and nature. I have a spot like this in every city. And i’m not perfect compared to you. You are handsome, smart, resourceful, attractive, a perfect gentleman, and also adorable.” I gaze at the clear universe above our heads.

 

“But still, i’m not perfect. You are a bright shining star, a flawless sun, the light of my life.” Steve comments.

 

“Yet you are-” I try to continue when Steve silences me with a sweet, tender lingering kiss.

 

“You are perfect. If you stopped arguing, I could kiss you more often.” He remarks.

 

I smile a little at him. “I would like that.”

 

I lean into him again, pressing our lips together softly, making the moment last forever. We both pull away after a second, to catch our breaths. “You must be cold.” Steve worries.

 

“No, no, i’m fine.” I reassure him, but he still gives me a coat like a true gentleman.

 

I lean onto his shoulder, closing my eyes. I try not to drift to sleep, but I do, for Steve is the perfect pillow. I hope he doesn’t mind.

I give her my coat, noticing her shivering slightly. I don’t think she even realized it. She settles on my shoulder, and slowly falls asleep. I smile to myself, waiting until she is fully asleep to pick her up. I lift her up bridal style, noticing how light she is. I slowly stride back to a jet that will take us to the Helicarrier again, or the Hellcarrier as she had dubbed it. Martha is perfection. I love her, I am certain of it, but I don’t want to turn her away. I set her down gently in the jet, stroking her hair lightly. I concentrate on her for the entire trip back, thinking of how much I love her, and how much I want to keep her safe. The plane touches down back at base in the dark. I pick her up, quickly moving to the door. Good thing the Hellcarrier is in the water right now. I take Martha back to her old room, not wanting to freak her out if she wakes up in a different room. I leave a lingering kiss on her cheek, and set off to find Fury.

 

He’s still on the bridge, almost done for the day. “Director!” I call out.

 

He turns to me. “Yes, Captain?” When he gets tired, he gets sarcastic.

 

“Why do you do this?” I question him.

 

“Do what?” He genuinely appears confused.

 

“Put Martha on the team! She could be hurt, killed, and I can’t let that happen!” I scolded.

 

“She is ready for this.” Fury states, walking away from me. I hurry after him.

 

“No, she’s not! I have to protect her!” I insist.

 

Fury faces me. “Listen, I know you love her. I can see it in your eyes. I had to put her on some kind of team, so I put her on one that you can always watch over her from. Your team. Now get some rest. That’s an order.” He leaves me there, marching away to his own quarters.

 

I sigh, his answer only making me feel a little better. I leave the bridge, heading to my own room. Upon reaching said room, I take a quick shower and change into a pair of pajama pants. I sleep shirtless. I lay down in my bed, closing my eyes. My dreams are filled with the same moment, Bucky falling off that train.

Martha’s POV

 

I wake up slowly, blinking in confusion. Didn’t I fall asleep on a park bench? This is my room. I raise my eyebrow to myself, sluggishly getting out of bed. 7:12 am. That explains it. If I oversleep I become even more tired. Yay. I enter my bathroom, splashing water on my face. I wash up, taking a quick shower, yawing for most of the time. I stepped out of the bathroom, taking a step back. Laid out on my bed was an outfit I had never seen before. It looked like Natasha’s suit, but black and blue. On the right sleeve of it, a red A, the Avengers symbol, caught my eye. I tentatively ran my fingers over the sleeve, noticing my name underneath the symbol. “I’m an Avenger.” I whispered to myself.

 

The realization hit me hard. Seeing the suit made me finally accept that I was a part of the most important team at SHIELD. I smiled happily at the suit, turning around to send a message to Maria.

 

Hello my friend! I noticed a new addition to my wardrobe. Do i need to wear it?

 

A few seconds later, she replied.

 

Yes, and Avengers meeting at 8 on the bridge

 

Great, what time is it?

 

Thats what a clock is for

 

Yea yea i have like 2 minutes. Be there on time hopefully

 

If you’re on time you’re late

 

I rolled my eyes at her reply, quickly changing into the suit. It fit perfectly, and I did a 360 in the mirror. “Whoever picked this out has a great sense of style.” I stated out loud to myself.

I step out of my room, heading down to the bridge. I get a couple of funny looks, because 1. I’m always up by at least 6 am, and 2. I have never worn a uniform in all the time i’ve worked with SHIELD. I have to admit, this uniform is a lot easier to move in than jeans and a t-shirt. I don’t know which outfit I like better. I arrive at the bridge, joining the meeting. I notice Steve staring at me, and Tony smirking at him. Fury is directing the meeting, and he chuckles under his breath. “Nice to see you can join us, Martha.”

 

I slightly cringe. “Sorry, overslept.” He raises an eyebrow at me, and continues his little speech. That’s his thing. He like to talk about the problems that SHIELD faces, and make it a lot more dramatic than it should be. I sit down quietly, next to Clint. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I check it under the table. I have mastered the art of texting without looking. It definitely helps.

 

Well, well, look who overslept. Or is it who stayed up all night?

 

Oh Natasha, you’re just jealous. And no, I did not stay up all night. I roll my eyes at Natasha pointledy.

 

I like the next uniform, nice to see you actually wearing one

 

So what? I’m on the team now, so I have to fit in

 

No, you’re on the team so you need to pay attention to the meeting

 

What about you? you’re texting me

 

No i’m not. now stop

 

I stop texting her, actually trying to learn what Fury stressed about it. Um, just the demon-thing invasion. Okay, I know about this. Fury turns to me now. “And now, happier news. We have a new Avenger. Martha.” I smile at him. Basically all the Avengers knew this, but I think it was mostly for the other agents.

 

“Martha is very talented, and can help us in many ways.” Fury complimented.

 

“Yep, and I can train her.” Tony leaned back in his chair, putting his arms behind his head.

 

“No, Stark. Clint and Steve will share the responsibility of training her. She learns quickly though.” Another compliment from Fury? Did he get him by a generous ray or something?

 

Clint grins, and Steve smiles happily. He hasn’t taken his eyes of me this entire time. “Dismissed.” Fury states, moving back to his computers.

 

I stand up, and Steve takes my hand. “Come with me, Martha.” I nod at him, rolling my eyes at Natasha. “Get some.” Tony jokes.

I follow Steve out of the bridge area, letting him drag me into an unused room. There are many on the Hellcarrier. “How may I help you?” I ask sweetly.

 

He pulls me into him, kissing me hungrily. His lips are soft and rough on mine at the same time. He leans back slightly, to whisper, “I’ve been wanting to do that all morning.”

 

I blush a little at that, and he kisses me again, passionate and lust filled. He backs me up against a wall, and I press my body up against his. His tongue explores every inch of my mouth. He pulls away again, and I catch my breath. “You taste, divine.” He kisses my throat, softly biting down to leave faint marks. My legs start to grow weak, and he lifts me up onto his torso. His lips never leave mine, his hands running down my back. For an old-fashioned person, he kisses amazingly. I can feel the longing he has for me, and I kiss him harder. Our tongues fight for dominance, and Steve tastes of tea. Hm, never thought he was a tea drinker.

 

He continued to kiss me, pushing me back against the wall. The guy has a thing for walls, I think. I don’t mind. I let one hand reach under his shirt again, the rippling muscles responding to my touch. He kisses my neck again, and my heart flutters. He stares me in the eyes for a second, leaning in to press our lips together. This kiss starts out slow and delicate, almost as if Steve though I became fragile in about 1 second. It gradually grows heated and rough, an all-out frontal attack. Once again, as I thought I could've died of happiness, we were interrupted.

 

Again.

 

This time it happened to be Natasha. “Get a room.” She whined.

 

“Why do you think we were in here?” Steve countered.


	8. Disaster Strikes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when the Helicarrier goes down?

Martha’s POV

 

It’s been a week since I joined the Avengers, and what a hectic week it’s been.

 

First, I met up with Tony and Bruce, and got my own tracking device and other random pieces of equipment that I will probably never need in my life. Who knows, maybe I will need a llama shaver? Sarcasm.

 

I had a physical, and I came up clean of any disease. Good to know. I worked with Steve most of the time with training, but I did a couple of sessions with Clint as well. Steve showed me how to use my strength to my advantage, and how to be more nimble and light on my feet. We worked with weights, punching bags, and guns. Great combination. I know now how to put together and fire over 92 types of guns. I can also bench up to 150 pounds. Not that bad for a first week. Clint taught me more about using a bow and arrow, and small knife tactics. My archery skills are, improving. Very slowly. But using a small knife is easier for me, because I am a mean cook. My cooking skills overshadow my fighting skills. Tony even managed to sneak in a session with me, late at night. He showed me about fighting when you have no weapon, and how to annoy your enemy into defeat. I laughed, but he told me how it saved his life when he was captured by A.I.M. At the end of the week, my various fighting skills have improved, over 200% I would say.

 

Steve and I have grown even closer. He has taken me out many times, to a park, an aquarium, the boardwalk, and my favorite time, the beach. With the sun going down but right over the horizon, the sand between our toes, the lighting, and the faint sound of waves crashing on the shore, it was magical. The kiss we shared that night motivated me into working harder, trying to deserve the spot on the team.

 

Our relationship has progressed. I told him the story of my early life, and he vowed to find and destroy my family’s killer. I’m not going to tell him that Loki murdered them. I hate unnecessary death. In return, he explained how he became Captain America, lingering on the happy parts of the story. He skimmed over Peggy Carter, his first real love, and over Bucky’s death. He elaborated on the HYDRA plan, but said nothing of how everyone he knew was dead. I hugged him tightly, a few tears leaking out of my eyes. He brushed them away and held me close. We sat like that until our training session started.

 

Four days have passed since our little talk, and we understand each other better. Today, the entire team sat in the lab, enjoying a relaxing break. Our conversation started at missions, and turned to llama shavers.

 

“Why do we need llama shavers?” I asked Tony, raising an eyebrow at him.”

 

“In case you ever need to shave a llama.” He stated matter-of-factly.

 

“Have you ever even shaved a llama?” Natasha objected.

 

“Well, let’s just say it was a very interesting African trip.” Tony smiled to himself.

 

“But llamas aren’t even found in Africa.” I scolded.

 

“I said it was very interesting, didn’t I?” He explained.

 

I opened my mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a loud blaring alarm coming from the PA. Everyone’s face, except mine, took on a worried and terrified expression. “What’s going on?” I mumbled, frightened by everyone’s reaction. These 6 people took on an entire army of Chitauri. Why would an alarm scare them this much.

 

Bruce answered my question. “The Helicarrier is falling.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The entire team took off out of the room, each to their own places. Taking deep, calming breaths, I yelled over the blaring alarms into my wrist-com. “Fury? What is going on?” Can the Hellcarrier really be falling out of the sky? I can feel it jolting around, so yes, it must be.

 

I get a reply 30 seconds later. “The Helicarrier is falling. I repeat, the Helicarrier is falling. You need to get out and onto a plane. Fury out.” It crackled and fell silent.

 

The alarms still blared, but most of the hallways were deserted. I took off at a sprint down the hallway, towards where I knew the exit pods and planes would be. I had prepared for this type of emergency before, but this time my exit route is with the Avengers plane. As I run through the hallway, I smell smoke. A small bomb went off in front of me, throwing me back against the wall. It destroyed the hallway, leaving it burning and mangled. Following it were men, men I had never seen before. They continued down the hallway, creating explosions and leaving a burning mess in their wake. Flames and destruction surrounded me, and no one else was around. I assume they all got out safely. I stand up shakily, fallen, burning beams and other debris blocking my way. The destruction was great, but not too much that the hallway couldn’t be used. I pick my way through the ravaged hallway, searching for an exit. Blood slowly but constantly dripped down the back of my head, not a lot though. Just a small cut.

 

I stumble through the wreckage, having lost my bearings a while ago. My wrist-com dangled from my wrist, broken. The small fires still burning took away a lot of the oxygen, and the air started to become thicker. Smoke fills my lungs, and I cough. Someone farther away calls my name, and I turn. Part of the ceiling beam cuts my arm, but it’s not deep. The person calls my name again, and I realize it’s Steve. I call back to him, telling him that i’m here and that i’m okay. Faint sounds of Steve pushing through the wreckage meet my hear, and in a few seconds he’s at my side. He holds me in his arms, picking me up bridal style. He shouts something, but I can’t hear him over the loud, grating sound of probably an engine failing. It continues, and the Hellcarrier lurches dangerously. Steve barely moves, standing his ground.

 

When it’s stable enough, he starts to move quickly in the direction I had been moving. He continued to jog, ducking and avoiding the debris, while I closed my eyes gently. The sounds of the grating engine, the crackling fire, the far off explosions, and the buzzing in my own head bash my ears in. The sound of wind slowly joins the party, until I notice that we reached the plane area. I open my eyes, motioning to Steve to put me down. He shakes his head, carrying me onto the plane. I notice the other Avengers there, fear and concern shining in their eyes. I must look a mess, but Steve does too. Fury is on the plane as well, talking to the pilot. I get out of Steve’s arms carefully, slumping down into one of the seats. Natasha sits next to me, pressing a cool towel on my forehead. I sigh, the plane jolting as it takes off. I watch out the front window as the Hellcarrier, with all four engines smoking, plunges deep into the water in front of our very eyes. We all glance at each other, fear striking our hearts. Steve places himself next to me, wrapping his arms around me. I lean on his shoulder, my heart sinking.

Steve’s POV

 

Martha leaned on my shoulder, sighing. I pulled her into my lap, rhythmically stroking her hair to calm her down. She buried her face into my shoulder, trying to act strong for me. I shushed her, kissing her dirty forehead. “What do we do now?” Tony breathed, serious for once.

 

I shrugged. “Kill them.” Emotion made no appearance in my voice. The person behind this hit me where it hurt, Martha. “Where is Loki.” My voice cut through the air, barely heard over the farther away crashing of the Helicarrier to the watery depths. The plane sped out of the area, the silence a deep contrast to the destruction behind us. Fury slumped in his seat, defeated. “Dead. We couldn’t get him off without sacrificing ourselves.”

 

Loki’s death was bad and good at the same time. I held Martha tightly, determined to not lose my love again. Over the past week, my feelings for her developed into love. I’m 100% percent sure of it. No one spoke for the longest time, until Fury stood up.

 

“We have no other option, we must regroup with the other agents, and take our time to make sure we can defeat this person. Thor, we may need backups from Asgard, and Tony, we may need backup suits. If this person can take down the Helicarrier in under 3 minutes, then they are a force to be reckoned with, not one for good. We will be untraceable, hidden, until we can destroy them. They will pay. Hill went down with the ship, and I will avenge her.”

 

On my lap, Martha turned her head. She was coated in debris from the explosions, but determination and grief shone in her eyes. “Maria is dead?” Fury nodded solemnly.

 

The pain in her eyes broke me, gathering her closer to myself, I buried my face in her neck. Maria and I had grown close over the years, and she deserved my friendship. I never loved her, though, not like I love Martha. The silence stretched on, unbearable, devastating, crushing. My only comfort held me tightly, like she would never let me go.

 

I sighed deeply, counting the seconds until we could get off this plane and into a safe area. I cannot lose Martha, I cannot. My heart has broken twice, when both Bucky and Peggy died. I know what love is, and this is certainly it. I relieve the happiest and best memories that I have with Martha to keep my spirits up. If they stay up, everyone will feel the tiniest bit better.

 

\---Flashback---

 

“So you’ve never eaten bacon.” Martha laughed at me.

 

“No, I have not. Is it good?” I reply, smiling widely.

 

“Is it good? Is peace good? Is freedom good? Is h-” I cut her off.

 

“Okay, okay, I see your point. Fine, I will try bacon.” A mischievous glint appeared in her eye.

 

She sprang up from her seat in the cafeteria, calling out to a chef, George. I watched her, amused. He ran into the back kitchen area, yelling out something to the other cooks. She turned and smirked at me, waiting patiently until George brought out a pile of red-ish long strips of meat. “Bon appetit.” He bowed to me, acting like a french waiter.

 

Martha shooed him away, settling down to watch me eat. I glance up at her, a small grin on my face, and pick up a strip of meat, or bacon. I smell it, noticing the insane amounts of grease smothering it. She urges me on with her eyebrows, and I tentatively take a bite. My mouth exploded with meaty taste and deliciousness. I think the joy and surprise showed on my face, because Martha started laughing at me. “Good, right?” She challenged.

 

“Better than freedom tastes, let me tell you that.” I respond, wondering where this food had been all my life.

 

“And pray tell, what does freedom taste like?” She acts innocent.

 

“Gunpowder and bald eagles.” I mumbled.

 

\---End of Flashback---

The plane jerks roughly, knocking me out of the memories. I do love bacon, it’s the best thing on earth. Everytime I see it reminds me of Martha, and how every little smile she gives me brightens my day. She may have fallen asleep on the ride here, but either way she looks exhausted. She tried to stand up, to get out of my lap, but I just pick her up in my arms. She fights back at me, but every pain of hers is a pain of mine. She gives up, lying limp in my arms.

 

We exit the plane solemnly, no words penetrating the air. (AN: Not a good enough reason to use the word penetrate. Okay sorry, had to do that.) We had arrived at one of the many other bases that SHIELD operated, though this one was teaming with people, SHIELD agents and others. No one spoke through the entire area, just helped each other in complete silence. No one wanted to admit that someone had just decimated the Helicarrier in under 4 minutes. We made our way into the building, observing people passing out supplies like water and food, or medics tending to wounds of others. All the agents were hardened to these situations, but it hit them hard.

 

Fury led us through the base, made like the Helicarrier only on the ground. We arrived at a corridor, where Fury gestured to the rooms. We staggered down the hallways, each room with a name on it, from Stark to Odinson. I found Martha’s room, just labeled Martha, and opened the door. Inside was plain, a bed, closet, and bathroom. I walked inside, placing Martha on the bed gently. She must have fallen asleep at some point, but she grabs my arm as I start to leave. She tugs gently, one eye cracked open. “Stay,” She whispers.

 

I nod, shutting the door and climbing into the bed behind her. I wrap my arms around her body, pulling her close into my chest. She sighs, closing her eyes and falling back into a deep sleep. I lay awake for another good half an hour, thinking of memories we shared, until I eventually fell asleep.

\---Dream---

 

“Come on!” Martha called from ahead of me, disappearing into the thick woods. Summer held the sky in a green canopy, the birds singing, insects buzzing, and water running nearby. I laugh brightly, following my crazy love into the green landscape.

 

“You’re so slow!” She taunted, above me now. I glance up, doing a double take at her sitting in a tree over my head. She jumps down, landing perfectly, and takes off in the direction of the water. I chuckle to myself, jogging after her.

 

I reach the water, a waterfall pouring into a very small lake, shimmering in the strong sunlight. The water is crystal clear, and warm too. It’s relatively deep, and I take a step into it, where it reaches my knees. I hear a loud cry of, “Watch out!”, before I am drenched head to toe in water.

 

I spit out water, Martha’s infectious laugh reaching my ears. “Haha, very funny.” I turn to her, noticing that she was soaked too.

 

She pulls me down to my neck in the water, leading my out to a part of the lake where I had to tread water to stay afloat. I put my hand gently on her neck, leaning in to press a soft, lingering kiss to her lips.

 

“I love you, Steve.” She whispers against my lips, kissing me deeply.

 

Martha’s POV

 

I relaxed, waking up once more to a beautiful sleeping man. I look at the clock, asleep for 3 minutes. “I love you, Steve.” I whisper to him, softly.

Martha’s POV

 

I fell into a dreamless sleep, calm next to the man that I love. Steve is my everything, my love, my soul, my love, my only one. I could not live without him, without him by my side. He shines bright in my life, illuminating the corners of me that I try to avoid, fixing them and improving me with every little touch. He warms up my heart, letting in the emotions that I try to hide, showing me how to be the me I was before my family left me alone on this earth. He helps me with the little things I struggle with daily, without even realizing it. I love him, i’m sure of it. I really do, and I have to tell him. But how? If I tell him too early, he might push me away, and leave me. Or he might not love me, or... There’s just too many things that could happen.

 

I will tell him tonight.

 

I’ll spend the day with him, lift his spirits, and then inform him tonight of my love. I may even be able to prove it to him. Okay, that’s my plan. So today, i’ll wake him up later, hang out with him, make jokes, cheer him up, and then confess my love. Next to me, Steve stirs slightly, so maybe I won’t wake him up later.

 

Before he is fully awake, I put my head down to pretend like I wasn’t staring at him like a loving puppy. He yawns, wrapping his arms protectively around me. “Good morning, beautiful.” He whispers into my ear. In the morning, his voice is extremely seductive, rough and sleepy. I turn to face him, not at all embarrassed that we slept in the same bed together (but not sleeping together together). “Why hello there handsome,” I reply with a small smirk, aiming for sexy.

 

Apparently it works, because he leans in to press a tantalizing, sweet, sleepy, lingering kiss on my lips. He puts his hand behind my neck, murmuring, “You taste delicious in the morning.” I giggle at him, shooting back, “And you, delectable.”

He chuckles at me, kissing me deeply and meaningfully. I lean into him, pressing my lips against his with an urgency that would have been greater if I had more energy and didn’t just wake up. But this is a great way to wake up, i’m not complaining. The kiss grew more heated, and Steve pinned me under him, attacking my mouth with his own. His tongue slipped into my mouth, fighting a fierce battle with my own. He won, exploring my mouth thoroughly, while one of his hands lightly brushed my stomach and slid around to languidly touch my thigh. He pulled back slightly, allowing us both to catch our breath. My lips felt bruised, and probably swollen, but Steve glowed with sexiness, his hair tousled and his chest heaving. I forcefully kissed him again, laying back down on the bed. Sadly, Steve’s com-set buzzed, saying that he needed to get to the main area of the base to talk to some people.

 

He groaned, reluctantly getting off of me, and changing into a very, very, very, very tight and hot shirt, that showcased his bulging muscles, with tight pants that fit his behind amazingly. Most of my body needed to be cleaned, but the debris from the explosions easily rubbed off. My appearance didn’t frighten me as much as I thought it would. I showered incredibly quickly and changed into something a little more comfortable, but nowhere near as perfectly fitted as Steve’s clothes were. While I showered, Steve planned our day and what we were needed for.

 

After we both got ready to face the day, he grabbed my hand, smiling, and we took off together to start to work.

 

Over the course of the day, Steve, Tony, and I helped out with repairs, information gathering, and just reassuring everyone that it will be okay. Fury explained everything they knew about the Attack on the Hellcarrier, and how little was known. Loki died, because the agents were unable to save him in time. I think they deserted him and fled for their own lives. My mood darkened at this, until Steve kissed my cheek and comforted me. We took off, fixing planes, talking to the agents who witnessed the men who destroyed the Hellcarrier and got out alive.

We smiled, laughed, and did our best effort to help get the agents back on their feet. By 8 pm, my mind started to slow down drastically, and Fury sent everyone to bed, to keep our energy up. I brought Steve back into my room with me again, savoring his company. He showered, while I planned out in my head what to say to him.

 

As the water turned off, my heart raced and my mind drew a blank. I will go for it, just spit it out. Will I?

 

Before I had a chance to change my mind and run out of the room, Steve exited the bathroom, his hair wet. He wore only a pair of loose-fitting pants, and he climbed into the bed with me. He sensed something was wrong, obviously, because he asked, “What’s wrong?” Concern flooded his features.

 

“I... I have something to tell you.” My vague answer unsettled him, and he wrapped his arms around me, kissing my forehead gently, as if I might break.

 

I took this as a sign to continue, so I said three little words.

 

“I love you.”


	9. I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So the three little words have been said.

Martha’s POV

 

I hold my breath, noting Steve’s lack of reply and stiff muscles. My eyes sting as he sits perfectly stills and stares at me, emotionless. I will not cry. I will not cry. The silence drags on, leaving me in a state of hurt and pain. Does he not love me? Why, oh why did I have to just blurt that out! I free myself from his arms with one quick shake and run out of the room as fast as I possibly could. Of course he doesn’t love me, why am I so stupid! And now i’ve ruined everything! I stumble through the halls in my own state of fuzzy pain, not paying attention to the agents who give me weird looks as I pass them. My head spins, and my heart aches with every step. Why did he have to lead me on, make me believe that I could find love and my soulmate with him? A single, lonely tear drips down my cheek, reminding me of the days after my family was brutally murdered. I never stopped crying, displaying my weakness to the world. But not this time.

 

I reach an extra room in the base, not sure whose it is or why they weren’t there. It’s late at night, so they probably won’t come back. I stagger onto the bed, laying face down into the pillow. I let out a soft sob, hoping that Steve will leave me alone in my misery. A tiny bud of hope that Steve does love me worms its way into my brain, but if he did, he would have stopped me, right? I close my eyes, even though I couldn’t see anything anyways.

 

It takes me a while to fall asleep, because my mind buzzes with thoughts of Steve. But I push them away, and think of other things, like what to do in another emergency and who might have tried to kill off SHIELD. Nothing comes to mind, and I drift off into a shallow, fitiful, dreamless sleep.

 

Steve’s POV

 

What have I done. I love Martha, I really do, but when she told me she loved me, I didn’t know what to do. Surprise and shock immobilized me, and I just had no concrete thoughts. Obviously me saying nothing hurt her, and she ran away. I watched her go for a second, my brain still not thinking clearly. A couple of seconds later, everything clicks, and I stand up and sprint to my door. Martha’s not in the hallway, not in my line of sight. I panic, hoping dearly that I didn’t scare her away and she is safe somewhere.

 

I take a right, unbeknownst to me the wrong direction, as I learn later on. I call out her name as I jog, desperately checking every place that she could possibly be. I search almost the entire base, not catching one sight of her. I sigh, hopeless. “I love you, Martha.” I whisper softly into the dark night, turning to go pay a visit to the gym.

Martha’s POV

 

I wake up, refreshed. I make a mental checklist of my day: get dressed, eat, fins Steve- wait, last night. The memory bashes into me, tears once again forming in my eyes. I squint from the darkness around the room I crashed in, noting how similar it is to my assigned room. I roll onto my back, staring at the ceiling. The clock on my watch beeps, telling me that it is now 6 am. The room has no windows or natural light, so I stumble around the walls until I turn on the lights. I have no extra clothes, so I brush my hair as well as I can with my fingers and creep out of the room. Luckily for me, all SHIELD bases are designed the same, and I make my way to my room and clothes. I reach the door without spotting Steve, and breath a sigh of relief. There is no light on in the room, but I hope he isn’t sleeping in the room. I creak open the door, relaxing when Steve isn’t there. I couldn’t bear to face him.

 

I change quickly into a standard SHIELD agent uniform, fixing my appearance to look alright. I never actually cried last night, nothing betraying my internal struggle.

 

I leave as quickly as I came, no evidence left behind. I walk through the halls, not looking anyone in the eyes and keeping my head down. All the other agents are running around, doing work, too busy to pay any attention to me. Good. I reach the spot where the makeshift bridge had been arranged, nodding to Fury and the rest of the Avengers. No sign of Steve so far.

 

Everyone is doing their own part of the investigation, but before I can jump in and work, a door near me slams open. I jump, spinning around. Steve stands proudly, his look unreadable but exhausted.

 

I immediately glance down at the ground in embarrassment, but suddenly Steve is in front of me and talking.

 

“Martha, i’m sorry. I should have said something, done something. I went looking for you, but you left. I need to tell you this, I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. I always have. I can’t imagine a second without you, you’re too important and perfect. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, and I wanted to tell you, I needed to. Please forgive me, but I love you. I may have been in the ice for a while, but I know when I love someone.” Steve stares me straight in the eye, waiting eagerly for my response.

 

He loves me? “I love you too, Steve.” I whisper back, watching his eyes light up.

 

He leans in, softly and gently pressing his lips to mine in the most memorable and perfect kiss I have ever had.

 

Soft clapping brings up back to reality, and we spring apart. The Avengers are clapping, Tony wolf whistling. I blush, laughing.

Martha’s POV

 

It’s been two and a half months.

 

SHIELD has worked endless hours to secure the organization and country. They cleaned up most of the damage done by the Hellcarrier, and did more research into the problem at hand.

 

We have nothing.

 

We can’t find a single name, or any other attacks, or basically anything to give us a clue. Thor has had Heimdall search for the person responsible, but even he found nothing. He/she hasn’t tried anything else, but to be safe we still are camped out in the base we evacuated to. More agents have joined us here to help us, to research and design more weapons. Fury has called for a major upgrade to our defenses, and it’s taken a toll on everyone. Even Tony doesn’t have enough energy to make wisecracks.

 

The only bright thing with this delay is Steve and I spend more time together. We do all the same projects, side by side. When the higher Level 8 agents assign projects, they know of our relationship, and put us together. It’s nice, because we can escape into our own little world together. Then every night, we fall asleep together, safe in each others arms, no dangers or worries. We wake up, eat, and settle into the routines we have.

 

Everyone is more subdued, but not as depressed as the evacuation. People have started to smile more, make more jokes, and the moral of the base has brightened.

 

Most of the time, I work with Steve and May on investigation missions. As a team, we break into buildings that are suspicious to Fury, and check them. They’re dangerous, but Steve always makes sure I never get hurt. A couple of days ago, Thor decided to bring two people to Asgard to speak with Odin for help. Steve immediately volunteered himself, but I argued with Thor. “What would Odin do to help one Midgardian organization?” I had asked him. He sighed, exhausted like the rest of us. “He believes that the culprit is Loki.”

 

When I asked him what he meant and reminded him that Loki is dead, he shook his head and walked away. I followed him, volunteering to go on the trip as well. The three of us got one day to relax and prepare for the meeting with Odin. I didn’t question Thor again, but a competitive and hilarious game of Just Dance 4 sprouted up. We all drifted of to sleep with a smile on our faces, but the next morning was serious.

 

We walk towards the Bifrost site, myself taking deep breaths to calm my nerves. Apparently using the Bifrost is fun, but I probably won’t like it. Fury joins us, giving us explicit directions to do while in Asgard. He steps back, letting Thor call for Heimdall to beam us up to Asgard. I take a deep breath, waving at Fury as the rainbow colors of the bridge sends us flying. Fear overtakes my body, and my heart thuds. Steve laughs, causing Thor to chuckle. Finally, the ride was over, and we landed in a golden room, one man standing in the middle of the dome. My legs shake, and I shake my head to clear it. “Welcome to Asgard.” The man booms, and Thor laughs. “My friends, welcome to the realm eternal.”

 

I smile a little, nodding at Heimdall. Steve puts his arm around my waist, walking with me to where three horses wait for us outside the dome. We step out, and my breath is taken away, the second time today. “Wow.” I breath, taking in the golden palace, massive gates, rainbow bridge, and sprawling city. Thor smiles at me, and gets up on his white, imperial horse. I jump onto my black stallion before Steve can help me, and he goes to his own brown horse and gets on as well.

 

Thor gallops to the palace, and the horses follow him. I know I don’t need to direct my horse, so I pat its neck and take in the sights of Asgard. The buildings all have beautiful golden architecture, but the amount of defense in between the buildings protecting the city is astounding. There are guns of every kinds, guards, archers, and most of the citizens had their own weapons on them. I watch the city fly by, and then we are at the doors to the palace. Thor knocks twice, then flings the huge doors open. The inside of the palace is even more elaborate and fancy then the rest of the city, and it stole my breath away. I smile at Steve, who looks as awed as I am.

 

We follow Thor through the expanse of hallways, guards lining the doors and watching our every mood. A small grin stayed on my face, and a few smiled back at me. The walk was a shorter one, but when we reached a larger golden door, Thor stopped. A woman hugged Thor tightly, which he returned, and then stood in front of me and Steve. “Welcome! I am Frigga, Queen of Asgard and Thor’s mother.”

 

I bow in the Asgardian custom to her, as we had to learn in diplomacy class back at SHIELD training. She laughed happily at me, pulling me up from my crouched position. Steve just looked lost. “Come, come Martha. While the men talk politics, we shall enjoy this stay in Asgard. And don’t be so formal with me.”

 

I smile back at the kind older woman, and wave bye to Steve. “That sounds better than politics, my Queen.”

 

“Call me Frigga, dear.” She grabbed my arm and marched me off, away from Thor and Steve. I didn’t catch Steve’s expression, but Thor called after us, “Come back later to fetch your love sick puppy!”

 

Frigga led me through the halls, chatting with me and speaking about Thor. I laugh along with her, telling my own anecdotes and just enjoying being with the fun queen. We stop at a room with a normal door of the palace. “Come daughter. I must speak with you privately.” She swept open the door and stepped into the dark-lit room. I followed inside, and heard a barely audible click from behind me.

 

When Frigga faced me, a serious tone dictated her face. “There is a prophecy.”

 

Steve’s POV

 

Martha left with Frigga, a smile on her face. I turned to Thor, and lightly punched him in the arm. I knew I could never hurt him. He grinned widely at me, but then a guard came up to us. “The Allfather will see you now.” He reported emotionally. He wore the same garb as all the other guards, but with an added show of rank on his chest, I think.

 

I nod at him, swallowing my nerves of meeting Odin. He’s the King of Asgard, the strongest of the Nine Realms. I’m a little out of my comfort zone. Thor notices this, and lays one of his large hands on my shoulder. “He may be king, but he is not cruel. Come, follow me.”

 

I nod again, trailing him as he pushes through the doors and into the throne room. It is massive. The entire room is gold, with the large and elaborate throne at the end of it. Gigantic columns line the room, of a material I had never seen the likes of. I gulp, gazing around until I find Odin. He sits in the throne itself, and despite the size of it, seems no less small. His eye calmly drifts over the two of us, his stare imposing enough. His armour is similar to the style of Thor’s, but with more gold and less metal. He sits straight, Gungnir in his hand. Thor reaches the foot of the stairs in front of the throne, and bows deeply. I try my best to copy his movements, and am rewarded with the smallest chuckle from the Allfather. “Rise.” He commands in a booming voice, much like Thor’s. I can now see the resemble.

 

I slowly stand up from my position, once again mirroring Thor. He gives me a slight reassuring glance, and speaks to Odin. “You have requested our presence.”

 

Odin gets up out of his throne, even more imposing standing at his full height. “Yes, my boy, no need to be this formal. Your problems on Midgard have troubled me. I know who is responsible.”

 

He stares down at me, and I wonder if i’m supposed to say something back to him. However, he keeps on talking. “Loki is causing these attacks. Every since he failed to rule your world, he has wanted to take revenge, especially on SHIELD. That is what he is doing now.”

 

I almost take a step back in shock. However, I find my voice. “Loki is dead. He died during the attack on the Helicarrier.” I want to take the words back as I say them, but I don’t.

 

Odin doesn’t reply for a minute, but then sighs. “He must have coordinated it so he looked as though he died. If he was held in confinement, then he must have taken a small part of a mortal’s life force to transport him out of the area to where he chooses.”

 

“How would he do that?” Thor questions from my left, before I could speak up.

 

“By kissing a mortal, he gains a small amount of energy. That is the only way.” Odin replies, weariness lining his face.

 

“Who would he kiss?” I wonder out loud, without even realizing it.

 

Odin closed his eye for a moment, and I flinched, hoping I didn’t say the wrong thing.

 

He opens his mouth, hesitating.

 

“Martha.”

 

Martha’s POV

 

“What?” I am utterly confused.

 

“Would you say that you love Steve?” Frigga requested.

 

I stay silent, trying to get a glimpse of any part of the room.

 

“Would you say you love him?” Frigga repeated.

 

“Yes.” I answer, after a moment.

 

“This is bad. Worse than I feared.” She mumbled to herself, spinning away from me and busying herself with something out of my line of sight. Well, most things are out of my line of sight.

 

“What is? What is the prophecy?” I call out.

 

The clinking I had heard before stopped, and utter silence surrounded me. “Two from the middle enclosure, with equally tragic beginnings and middles, will met the den on 12 of the day of Thor, by the hands of the lost prince from two realms.” A low, out of nowhere voice mumbled slowly. Every word stuck into my memory, and I take a step back. The voice sounded nothing like Frigga.

 

A hand clasps my arm, and I flinch away with a yelp. It burns with both fire and ice at the same time, burning but cooling with extreme pain. As quickly as the pain came, it ended, and I bend over gasping. “Wh.. what was that?” I gasp out, leaning against the wall I found in the darkness.

 

“A simple protection spell. Go now, find your lover, tell him of what I have said.” Frigga warned me, ushering me out of the room until I stood in the hallway alone, panting and 100% confused.


	10. The Prophecy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Two from the middle enclosure, with equally tragic beginnings and middles, will met the den on 12 of the day of Thor, by the hands of the lost prince from two realms.”

Steve’s POV

“I will kill that swine.” I vowed. 

Martha is my love. How, why, I WILL KILL HIM. My eyes narrow, as they do when I get angry. Thor lays one hand on my arm, telling me without words to stay. Odin knocks his scepter once on the floor. “You will take him prisoner, and take him back here for Asgardian justice.”

“Which is?” My voice is steely and cold. 

“Execution.” Odin replies, his voice equally harsh.

“Good.” I turn and stalk my way out of the throne room, Thor hurrying after me. “Steve!” He called after me. I don’t think i’ve ever heard him call me Steve before.

I keep walking, not having a destination in mind. Wait, no, i’m going to find Martha. She will be safe with me. Thor pulled me to a stop, his strength much greater than mine. I shake off his hand, but face him. “What.” My rage at Loki is my only thought.

“You don’t know what you’re doing. Wait for a little while, so we can pinpoint Loki’s location. Don’t go after him like this, he’ll use your anger against you, and I can’t let that happen.” He pleads with me, his own expression hurt. 

“How would you know.” I question him, calming down a little. 

“I have known him for a very long time. He is the God of Mischief of Lies. Trust me on this. Find Martha. Then we can talk with Heimdall, and get his help. Let me take care of this.” Thor requested, once again laying his hand on my arm. Asgardians like physical contact.

I sigh deeply, reluctantly nodding. “Okay. We’ll do this. Where is Martha?” I panic internally, realizing I have no idea where she is. 

Thor quickly walked over to one of the walls, gently pressing it with one finger. 

“What is that going to do?” I nearly laughed, he looked ridiculous. 

The wall glowed with a silver light against its gold material, several black dots appearing. I move closer to it, noticing one of the dots move closer to the other.

“This is a very helpful location tracker. We call it ‘The Dotter.’ This,” He points to the two close dots, “is us. This,” Here he points to a dot about 3 inches away from ours, “is Martha’s.”

“Whoa.” I breathe.

Thor chuckles, then continues. “You can use this when you need to, just press your finger to the wall. It will show only the person you are thinking of, so think carefully. Now be off, she’s not that far away.” 

“Thank you for your help Thor. Where shall we met up?” I immediately think ahead, planning my next moves as I was taught.

“The Bifrost, where you first arrived. Take your time, but do not test my father’s patience.” He warns, and takes his finger off the wall. The entire display disappears, and he heads down the hallway. For a large god, he moves fast.

I shrug, then head off in the direction that I had seen the dot.

Martha’s POV

I slump against the golden wall, closing my eyes. I lean my head back, the cool material (possibly brick?) reducing the pounding headache that Frigga gave me. I glance down at my arm, noticing a tiny red dot near my shoulder. I sink down more to the ground, noting the lack of guards. I have no idea where Frigga herself went, but I assume she is still in the room. What in the world does “Two from the middle enclosure, with equally tragic beginnings and middles, will met the den on 12 of the day of Thor, by the hands of the lost prince from two realms.” mean? I need to find Steve, or I tell myself I need to find Steve. Frigga said to tell him the prophecy, but should I? I have to talk it over with someone, that’s a necessity. But who? Someone smart, cunning, and good at riddles.

Either Natasha, Clint, or Tony. One of the three. Maybe Thor, he’s an Asgardian, and he’s even in the prophecy. “The day of Thor.” Thor’s day? Thursday, probably. Well, that’s one part figured out. Footsteps reverberate through the hall, and I stand up straight. Rule number 8 of Agent Training: ‘Never Show Weakness’. 

I face the noise, and see Steve. He slows his pace to a normal walking speed, gathering me in his arms. “Happy to see me?” I taunt.

“Yes.” He whispers in my ear, kissing me sweetly.

He cannot know of the prophecy.

Steve’s POV

She cannot know of Loki’s plans. 

Martha’s POV

 

Steve takes my hand, leading me down hallways. I assume he knows where he’s going, as he is the man with the plan. He picks a relatively fast pace, but his legs are a lot longer than mine. His hand in mine is warm yet calloused, from all the fighting and training he does. The full strength of his grip and just him is evident, and I know he’ll never hurt me. I love him, he loves me. It’s a great relationship.

 

He navigates through the hallways with ease, like he’s lived here all his life. No wonder Fury sends him on so many missions. He has skills for any situation, except internet skills. We pass a few guards, but they stand at their posts without moving. I break the silence first. “What did Odin say?”

 

Was it my imagination or did his grip tighten?

 

“That the person behind this is Loki.” His gaze settles on mine, and I feel my eyes widen.

 

“But Loki’s dead.” I shake my head, not believing him.

 

“Apparently not. He probably had a person come break him out, or an illusion, or something. But he’s not dead.” Steve explained. I nod, not really understanding him.

 

Steve just shrugs at me. “I don’t really understand either. But Thor and Odin do, so I just fight who they say to.”

 

I grip his hand a little harder, knowing that he hates Loki. I know that Loki tried to take over the world, but Steve hates him for other reasons as well. Hopefully he’ll tell me someday.

 

“Well, at least we know who's behind all this.” I smile a little at him, trying to cheer him up.

 

He grins back at me. “We know who, but not how to stop them.”

 

“Yeah, we’ll get there eventually.” Wait, one second, of course, the middle enclosure is Midgard! That makes sense. Why was I thinking of that? At least I figured it out. I must have read about it a while ago in some mythology book or something. Someone snaps in front of my face, and I flinch.

 

“Earth to Martha.” Steve continues to snap in front of my face, and I shoot him a murderous glare. “What?”

 

He laughs at me. “You just kinda got lost in thought there for a second. Anything important?”

 

I roll my eyes at him. “No, zoned out. What did you say? Anything important?” I mock him.

 

Steve chuckles. “I said, Thor is waiting for us at the Bifrost. We’re almost at the stables, to get our horses.”

 

“I thought we were going to get our dragons.” I act confused with the world.

 

Steve closed his eyes while trying to contain his laughter. “No Martha. We are not getting dragons.”

 

“Oh well, that would be fun.” I comment lightly, noticing that we had arrived at the stables. The horse I had ridden early stood, fully saddled, next to Steve’s horse. The saddles were different, so they must have just changed them. We haven’t been in Asgard for that long.

 

Steve opens his eyes, laughter shining in them. I lean up to him, kissing him deeply. He kisses me back, softly probing my mouth with his tongue. I allow him, until I pull away, breathing heavily. “To the Bifrost.” I decide, giggling at Steve’s blushed face. I wonder if they had PDA back in WWll. 

I wink at him as I get onto my horse, the same majestic black horse that I had ridden the first time. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Steve get up on his own brown horse smoothly. My horse trots out of the stables, down towards the gates of Asgard. Steve rides past me, almost sprinting. “On your left!” He calls to me.

 

“You’ll pay for that!” I vow as I gain speed and close the gap between us. The city blurs past, a gold streak.

 

“You’ll pay for earlier!” I assume he means the kiss. Will I like this type of pay? Probably.

 

I slow my horse down a little, not wanting the Asgardians to think of me as reckless and to not tire the horse out. Steve must be thinking the same thing, because his horse returns to a fast trot next to mine. I simply smirk at him, something I rarely do.

 

He smiles charmingly at me, and we pass through the huge gates. 

I let my gaze drift over the expanse over water surrounding the bridge, and the uneven, broken cliff catches my eye. Isn’t that where Loki fell off the Bifrost, before the Battle of New York? Parts of me sympathises with him, but I don’t know who he is anymore. Sometimes he cruel, sometimes he’s broken, sometimes he shuts everyone out. But he is reckless, and cannot be controlled. I’d rather stay out of this fight, but he made it personal. Did he really kill my family? I don’t know, but I think he may have.

 

We reach the dome-thing where we first reached Asgard, and Heimdall, Odin, Thor, and Sif stand there. I have not yet met Odin, but seeing his regal clothes, his spear, and the way he carries himself, it must be Odin.

 

Steve dismounts, and I follow his lead. We walk towards the group, who seem to be deep in discussion. Thor glances up, and motioned us closer. Odin noticed Thor, and all four of them turned around to face us. I wanted to shy away from their prying gazes, but I stand tall next to Steve.

 

“Midgardians,” Odin starts. “We will send Sif and Thor down to Midgard to neutralize this threat. Heimdall was unable to pinpoint Loki’s location, but he is somewhere near the country of ‘Russia’. When you find Loki, do not kill him, but use any force necessary to take him here for Asgardian justice.” He nods, and sweeps out of the room. I guess as a King, he has places to be.

 

Sif smiles at me. “Glad to see another female warrior around.” She shakes my hand weirdly, almost awkwardly. Must be Asgardian custom. 

 

“Nice to meet you.” I grin back at her.

 

“Come, friends, on our way.” Thor booms, stepping towards the entrance to the Bifrost (at least that’s what I think it is).

 

I make a move to follow him, when Heimdall stops me with one hand. He is strong, powerful, and definitely intimidating. “Beware the prophecy.” He whispers in my ear, and gently pushes me towards Thor, Sif, and Steve. I give him a questioning glance, scared of what he meant. He just looks ahead, away from me, and slides his sword into it’s place, activating the Bifrost.

Martha’s POV

 

The landing is smooth, now that I know how to land without breaking my legs in half. I smile a little to myself, noticing how we had managed to land at the exact same place where we first used the Bifrost. Wait, there are specific places... ohhh now I feel stupid. No one else is there, because it is the middle of a barren, desert like area. It seems the same, so I take charge. “So if this is the same place, then right here should be...” I step on a patch of sand, and it beeps, “the button.” I finish with a flourish. 

 

I turn around, and give a hand signal to Steve. “What?” He asks, confused.

 

“I don’t know, seemed cool to do.” I shrug, excited and hyper now back on my home realm(if that’s what it’s called. I don’t really know.).

 

Steve chuckles, shaking his head at me. Meanwhile, a very fast SHIELD jet appears over our heads, making its way towards us at an alarming rate. ‘Must have upgraded the planes.’ I comment to myself.

 

The jet hovers over us for about half a minute, until it descends and lands gently next to us, barely making a sound. “Your technology has advanced.” Sif nods at the plane, approving of it.

 

“Just think how I feel.” Steve grunts.

 

We all watch as Fury himself exits the plane, walking over to us until he stands directly in front of our little group.

 

“Agents, report.” He states, a cold look in his eyes I have never seen before. Honestly, it frightens the shit out of me.

 

Steve reports to him. “The man behind this is Loki, and he is not dead. Thor and Sif are here to help us. His location is around Russia, at least that is what Heimdall informed us. We are to not kill him, but to bring him back for Asgardian justice.”

 

“I hope that’s death.” Fury mutters, a murderous look in his eye.

 

I step forward, towards the two men. “Sir, what happened?”

 

He closes his eye for a second, then sighs. “Loki, if he is behind this, has Clint in critical condition and Stark has been shot twice in the gut.”

 

What? NO!!!

 

The world spins around me, and Fury says something but I hear nothing. I want to scream at Fury, tell him that it isn’t possible, Clint is perfectly fine and Tony too.

 

Instead, I instantly become focused and angry. That is not a good combination. “He will regret making this personal.”

 

Steve’s POV

 

Clint, and Stark, no this can’t be happening. We leave Earth for one day and two of my closest friends are dying. Everyone assumes me and Stark aren’t close, but once New York was over, he helped to re-introduce me to the world. He may be one of my best friends. And Clint, he trained me with new fighting styles and is just a great guy.

 

From my right I hear Martha speak. “He will regret making this personal.”

 

I turn to her, wanting to comfort her. Her hands are clenched by her sides, and her eyes narrowed. If looks could kill, all nine realms would be destroyed by now.

 

“Martha. We will stop him. They are not dead-” I start.

 

“Yet! YET! Loki will not stop until he has conquered us. But I will not let him. He cannot get past me. He will not. That is my job. Now let’s get back to base.” She states firmly, but I easily see the barely contained rage in her entire frame.

 

I reach out to her, but she pushes past me and into the plane. Thor too is upset and angry, because he knows Clint and Stark almost as well as I do. The Avengers are like family to me, except Martha who I love with all my heart.

 

I lay one hand on Thor’s shoulder, and he gazes sympathetically down at me. Sif strides to the plane, following Martha. Fury, Thor, and I all move at the same time, all alike in grief.


	11. Powers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor + Sif = Thif, and what about Martha's powers?

Martha's POV

I take my seat on the plane, making a mental note to ask Fury later why he had changed the jet design. Insted of two rows of seats on the sides, there is one row and a huge control panel. "We have equipped all our transportation with weapons controled by Level 5 or higher." Fury interupts my thoughts. 

"Why?" I question him, my voice harsh and grief stricken. 

"Loki... had taken control of one of our jets and shot Clint and Stark." Fury sighs. "He had convinced some of agents to be on his side, and they took over the jet. It was a routine mission, shouldn't have been hard. But then their retrieval jet turned on them and fired, Clint in the gut 4 times."

At this point, our entire group has boarded the jet and strapped in. The plane lifts up smoothly, the only thing informing us we have left the ground was the noise. Sif glances around, obviously judging the new Midgard advances. No one speaks, the silence deafening yet comforting. What turned Loki this evil, so he would murder and wound. I give up on him, he is too far gone. 

Steve puts his arm around my shoulders, letting me rest my head on him. "It's okay, Martha. I love you, and I will protect you. You are safe." He murmurs so the others can't hear. 

His words comfort me more than anything else probably could. No matter the circumstance, he's always calm and focused. Now is no exception, but I see his rage and internal pain. "I love you too, Steve." I whisper in his ear. 

I feel the guilt of hiding the prophecy weigh on me, but I ignore it. If he knew, I don't want to know what will happen. 

He smiles sadly at me, kissing my cheek gently. A small beep breaks the silence, and Fury reaches up to touch his earpiece. "Fury... Yes... Good... Keep it that way."

He looks up at us, relief washing over his face. "Clint is out of critical condition, and Stark is doing better."

I slump back in my seat, everyone but Sif looking relieved. "Is Midgard always like this?" She questions. 

"Sadly, yes." I reply. 

\--Time Jump--

Its been about 5 hours since we reached the base. Apparently, Loki's attack was the only interesting thing that happened when were gone. We informed all the agents that Loki had been conducting this entire thing. A lot of them asked if they could kill him, but we had to say no. Eventually, Sif dragged me off to a room, leaving Steve and Thor behind to talk about, man stuff? I don't know. We all need cheering up, so talking with friends is the best way. So now we're sitting in the training room, deep in discussion. 

"But you and Thor would be perfect together!" I point out. 

She laughs, and smiles sadly. "I know right, but his eyes are on the Midgardian." 

"Okay, so tomorrow I will tell Thor to ask you out on a date." I smirk mischievously. 

"NO!! Don't, Martha!!!" Sif lunges for me, so I get up and run away from her. 

"I see how he looks at you!! He looovvvees you!" I taunt. 

"NO MARTHA STOP!" She chases me around the room, unsuccessfully. I have had a lot of training in evading people, so I just laughed at her. 

"I ship it!" I yell, and then she crashes into me, knocking me to the ground. 

"What about you and Steve?" She giggles. 

I roll onto my back, clasping my hands together and talking in a higher, love filled voice. "Oh, it is love, pure love. And he has abs." I sigh, overdramatic. 

Sif laughs, then glancing to the door. "Thor too. All the Avengers are ripped." I murmur in agreement. "I wonder what they're talking about."

Steve's POV

"So, Sif is a great girl, and single." I bluntly hint to Thor. 

He chuckles. "I know, but she doesn't like me like that."

I loudly gasp, taking a step back. We currently stand near the bridge of the base, in one of the many corridors. "Are you sure? It seems to me like she does."

"I wish. I only date Jane to either make her jealous or to get my mind of Sif. Don't tell her that though." Thor mumbles, have an intense staring contest with the ground. 

I laugh, clapping him on the back. "Just ask her out. That's what I did with Martha, and see how that turned out." Thor always is lonely here on Midgard, and being with Sif may just cheer him up. 

"Yes, you two are the perfect couple. We should go talk to them." Thor agrees, meeting my gaze again.

I half-smile at him. "Yes, so you can get your lady!"

He huffs at me, leading the way to wherever my love and Sif went.(How does he know?)

Martha’s POV

Footsteps sound through the halls, and I pull myself to my feet. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” I comment to Sif.

“What?” She asks me, confused.  
Before I can explain, Steve and Thor both barge into the training room. “Greetings!” Steve calls out, smiling widely.

Knowing Steve as well as I do, his intentions are clear to me. I grab Sif’s arm and yank her so she’s standing. “Oh Sif, look, it’s Thor.” I wink at her.

 

She widens her eyes at me, telling me not to say a word. But Steve continues where I left off. “Thor, didn’t you have something to say to Sif. Or was it a question?” He nudges Thor forwards.

 

Thor avoided Sif’s gaze and turned to Steve. “No, no, nothing.” He looked at Steve with pleading eyes, and I tried my hardest not to laugh.

 

Steve cocked his head at Thor. “Are you sure? It had something to do with out, I believe.” The corner of Steve’s mouth twitched upwards, but he tried not to smile.

 

Thor panicked for a second, but then relaxed and smiled a tiny bit. He walked to Sif, taking both her hands in his. “Sif, it would be a great honor for me to take you out on a date.” He charmed.

 

Sif almost took a step back, baffled. Yet joy and surprise shone in her eyes as she answered, “Of course.”

 

Thor let out a breath he was holding, relieved. I motioned for Steve and I to leave, to let the two of them have alone time. He nods and exits the room, joining me outside. We stand in a hallway, strangely deserted. “Well that went exactly as I planned.” I comment smugly.

 

I love playing matchmaker, it’s always fun. Steve chuckles at me, and reaches down to capture his lips with mine. I melt into him, for once being more dominant and pushing him against the wall this time. He smiles through the kiss, and I take the opportunity to let my tongue roam in his mouth. Steve suddenly turns us around so i’m against the wall and his tongue is in my mouth. Well played. All coherent thoughts leave my brain as he pushes against me. He breaks off the kiss for a second, just to whisper, “How bout we go back to my room.” I agree with another searing, mind blowing kiss.

 

He picks me up in his arms, bridal style, without breaking the kiss at all. I giggle like a schoolgirl as he takes me to his room, and his bed.

\---Time jump---

 

I wake up refreshed, and also very, very sore. Steve is very good in bed, let me just say that. A gravely, sexy voice in my ear murmurs, “Good morning beautiful.”

 

“Good morning handsome.” I yawn back at him, turning around so I could gently kiss his lips. He tastes like sleep, but in a good way.

 

He kisses me back, then pulls away to help me out of bed. “We do need to shower and change quickly.” He reminds me with a smile.

 

“Well, one shower is quicker than two, I suppose.” I cheekily reply, pulling him into the bathroom with me.

 

\---Time jump---

 

After we showered and changed, which took a little longer than it should have, we headed out for breakfast and meetings hand in hand. Nothing interesting happened, no information was discovered, but everyone had fun. During the short breaks we had, agents would play games or tell hilarious stories. People were coming to terms about the Hellcarrier and the attacks, and just enjoying themselves more. Fury even joined in on one huge game of charades. Even though we’re at a dead end, at least we don’t feel like it.

 

Close to 5 pm, Fury informed me that he was sending me on a mission. It’s a little dangerous, so Steve isn’t told about it. I’m okay with that, because it’s nothing I can’t handle. I have to go into an abandoned warehouse, check it out for anything information about Loki and his plans, and then get out. Only problem is it’s filled with high explosives, which is why he’s sending in a team of three and the plane is to stay outside of a 5 mile barrier. I chose two agents who are great at things i’m not, and we’re all packed and ready. Steve thinks i’m on sorting information duty, while he’s on building weapons duty. Hopefully he won’t even notice i’m gone.

 

I grab all my equipment from the storage room that I will need, and meet up with my team in Hangar 1. One advantage of a land base is the Hangars are relatively silent, where on the Hellcarrier you can scream bloody murder yet no one will hear you. I nod to the two of them, one man and one woman, and they fall in behind me. They have mostly the same equipment as me, just a shade lighter. No one knows why, but half the equipment is lighter than the rest. Maybe it was Fury’s idea back in the day. Whatever. We board our designated plane, and take our seats. Including the pilot, there is only four people on this mission. SHIELD code specifically states a minimum of six. The explosives must be incredibly unstable, for Fury has never broken code like this before. Ever.

 

As we sit in the stifling silence, my thoughts roam to the prophecy. I haven’t had much time to decipher it, but now I do have time. So first things first, “Two from the middle enclosure.” Most likely the two are me and Steve, because why would Frigga tell me a prophecy not about Steve and instruct me to tell Steve about it? That wouldn’t make sense. I know I really should tell him, but I can’t bring myself to worry him over this. The middle enclosure. I have heard of that, but i’m not entirely sure of it. Quickly, I pull out my phone and search ‘the middle enclosure.’ Wikipedia pops up, and I skim it. Midgard is the middle enclosure? That does make sense, because both me and Steve are from Midgard.

 

So that’s the first part figured out. The pilot calls out for 5 minutes until the destination, where we will have to walk 5 miles to the warehouse. At least i’ll have more time to think. So next, “with equally tragic beginnings and middles.” Um, Steve and I really don’t have the most tragic start of our lives, but the middle is the same. Steve’s parents were killed when he was around my age, and then the entire war and super soldier program happened. But I guess both our beginnings and middles are equally tragic. So yes, that works as well.

 

The plane jolts, landing safely and pulling me out of my thoughts. He gives us the okay, and we start the long trek to the warehouse. “Will met the den on 12 of the day of Thor.” So the day of Thor is Thursday, that I know. But what is the den? Is it like a lion’s den? I’ll make sure we stay clear of any dens. And what is on 12? Is that noon or midnight? I’m assuming it’s a time, but I don’t know which. I should stop thinking about the prophecy, because it sounds ominous and I really need to plan out this mission.  
It won’t be too hard, but I cannot endanger this team. I clear my mind and breath calmly, keeping my eye on the prize.

 

We walk fast, about 10 miles per hour, and we reach the warehouse in about 30 minutes. My brain is set in attack mode, and I pull out my gun. We had gone over the plan before we left the base. I go straight and check the bottom floor, the man gets the second floor, and the woman gets the top floor and roof. I give the signal, and we all move out.

Martha’s POV

The bottom floor of the warehouse is just containers, the kind you would see on barges and such. This may be one of Stark’s factories that he shut down, similar to the one Loki used as his makeshift base. That I was held in. Anyways, this is less of a factory and more of a storing unit. All of these huge containers must be home to hundreds of unused guns and grenades, and just weapons. I want to get out of here as soon as I can. Nothing catches my attention as I make steady progress through the maze of danger, scoping out the place. So far, so good. I make it halfway across, and report to my team member. “Half done.” I get replies of “Half done” back, so we all have huge area to cover. 

I take caution to not even touch any containers, because I despise weapons. The entire room is coated in silence, my footsteps barely making a tiny sound. Since there is really no light in the warehouse, I use my own flashlight-gun to check it out. I turn to the right to examine the container next to me, but when I turn to my left, a man stands there, too close to me. I jump back a foot, startled, but don’t make a sound. He wears completely black, with a black sort of mask on. I point my gun at him, waiting for him to move or say anything. He stands stock still, so I command, “Hands up.”

Instead, he lunges at me.

I jump out of the way of his attack, noting that he prefers using his brawn over his brain. Until he starts using his brain. He charges at me again, so I duck, but he goes low and lands a punch on me. I’m mostly out of the way, so it doesn’t really hurt, but he maintains a hold on me. I block or dodge his next three blows, but he is more powerful than me and manages to get me in my ribs. My breath is knocked out of me, but I retaliate with the classic kick to the groin. He groans, releasing me. I move back, away from him, and quickly glance around the storage floor. The only exit is halfway across the room, and the ceiling it solid concrete. Well, if this thing blows up, the top two floors are mostly safe. 

I focus my attention around me. Seven more men, equipped and armed exactly like the first, are sprinting towards me. My first attacker still kneels on the ground. Guess I have a harder kick than I thought. One man reaches us before the other six, and growls at the first man. “You have failed.” He barks, and then raises his gun. I start to run towards him, but he shoots the man on the floor right in his head. I hear myself gasp, and immediately rage fills my brain. The edges of my vision blur with a red hue, and I punch the murderer in his face. A gash appears on his cheek, and blood drips down from his nose. The other six men join the party, forming a circle around me. “Okay,” I pant. “Whose first?” 

Two charge at me, from opposite sides of the circle. I jump into the air, knocking both back with a sort of middle-split-kick. I chuckle at them, until another man jumps onto my back and holds his knife at my throat. My knees buckle under his weight, but I throw him over my head and off of me. All three of them come at me again, and I kick one out cold with a 360 head kick. The rest of the men, four of them, start to come into my range. I fight back at them, not keeping track of what I just did or who I just hit. One gets a knife into my arm, and I nearly scream. I grunt, but don’t pull it out. That creates more blood flow and kills a person faster. Why do people in the movies it then? I uppercut one of the men, but then the blood drips down my arm faster. A warm, tingling feeling starts in my fingertips, spreading up to my elbows. My attackers step back, and I glance down. 

My arms are engulfed in flames.

But I don’t feel anything. Wait, I can control fire. From then on, I completely lose control. I form a ball of fire in one of my palms, sending out at one of the men. It hits him square in his chest, and I laugh maniacally. I spin around to knock another man back, and another. Only three men are still upright. I aim for a man to my right, but he ducks and it hits the container behind him.

Shit.

The fire licks into the container, exposing the weapons and HIGHLY FLAMMABLE THINGS INSIDE IT! The three men run, and I turn and follow them. 

I shouldn’t have played with fire.

A huge blast hits us from behind, and we get knocked into the nearest container. I slam my head on it, and more and more containers explode around us. The one under us explodes, and I get thrown into the air. Yes, these containers are highly flammable. After a minute or so, everything stops. I cough, opening my eyes. Right now, i’m laying on my back, but I quickly sit up. I do a 360, examining all the debris around me. Everything is gone. Only skeletons of the containers remain, and my attackers are gone. Dead. Fires still burn around the floor, and most of the metal is melted and gone as well.

Only question is, how am I untouched?


	12. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will Martha's powers affect her?

Martha’s POV

 

A faint, almost squeaking sound reaches my ears. I search the floor until I find it. My earpiece. I put it in, mid-sentence. “...heard an explosion... floor shook... alright?” The voice fades in and out, but i’m fairly certain it’s the woman.

 

“I’m alright. Seven masked men attacked me, but then one hit a container and the entire floor blew up.” I report to them. They don’t need to know about my fire powers.

 

“Are you sure?” The man asked. The connection fixed itself, which should be impossible because the earpiece was almost completely destroyed. I pull out of my ear, blood roaring in my ears as I discover it’s perfectly in one piece, how it looked when I first recieved it.

 

I stare at it, but then put it back in to reply to my teammates. “Yes, i’m sure. Are your floors clear?” I am determined to finish the mission and return to base.

 

“Yes, we’re both on the second floor. All clear.” The woman answers.

 

“Good. Do not come through the first floor. Exit from the roof is necessary.” I command.

 

A moment of silence follows this, until the man responded. “Fine. We shall meet you outside.”

 

One of them broke the connection, obviously upset with me and my lack of explanation. Oh well. Hands shaking slightly, I hold my arms out in front of me. No burn marks line my arms, as I would have expected. My gaze shifts to my legs, again untouched. I gently touch my face, nothing. I wish that the explosions left even a subtle mark at least, because this is much worse. So am I fire-resistant?  
This is definitely new. I pick my way through the debris and wreckage of the containers, purposely scraping myself on a couple to see if they would heal or not. None did, but it at least made it seem as if I really was in a huge explosion.

 

I reach the entrance, panting. Firebending is a huge exertion. The door withstood the detonation of the bombs and destruction of the weapons, so I throw my weight onto it. It creaks open, and I gulp in the fresh air. Hurriedly, I shut the huge door behind me, to hide the evidence. I’d rather not have anyone see that. Just in time, my teammates drop down to the ground next to me. A rope ladder ends about 10 feet off the ground, which I have no idea where they got. Is that in everyones equipment?

 

I nod at them, and the woman raises an eyebrow at me. “All clear.” I report, and it almost seems mockingly.

 

To avoid any conflicts or questioning, I set off at a fast pace towards where our plane is. I check the time, we’ve been here for 20 minutes. Not bad. I slow down my breathing and clear my mind for the walk, calming down and relaxing. I have only really used my powers twice, and that was over 3 years ago.  
For the next few days, everything became a little blurred, and my head spun constantly. So far, neither of these things happened yet, but it’s been, 5 minutes? I’m losing track of time.

 

The three of us arrive at the waiting plane, and the back door of it drops down for our entrance. I step on first, making my way to report to the pilot. “Everything go alright?” He must not have his own earpiece.

 

I glance back at my two teammates, who gaze back at me. I turn back, knowing that Fury must be listening to any conversation on the plane. The earpieces were on a closed-type circuit(i’m not tech person), so anyone could shut off the line when they want.

 

“Yes, nothing of interest to report.”

 

Steve’s POV

 

I step back from the plane I had repaired, doing a mental checklist of parts and basic repairs. A hand clasps on my shoulder, “Good job, Capsicle. Didn’t blow it up.”

 

Wait, is that... I spin around, smiling and holding back a laugh. “So no gun could hold you back, Stark.”

 

He laughed, mischief and joy shining in his eyes. I envelope him in a warm hug. I did miss the guy, but I thought he would stay in the hospital ward longer. “No hospital can hold me back.” He jokes, guessing what I was thinking correctly.

 

“Good to see you alive.” Everyone thinks that we don’t like each other, but that was before we began to hang out and really understand the other. I know about Stark’s, or should I say Tony’s, parents, and he knows about my parents and friends and everything.

 

“So where is your love, Cappy.” I raise my eyebrow at the nickname, but reply to him anyway.

 

“Um, I can’t really remember. Wait, i’m pretty sure she’s working at the Bridge.” His face lights up, and he grabs my arm.

 

“To the Bridge we go!”

 

\--At the Bridge--

 

“Slow down!” I call after him through the open door. He just laughs, and runs to disturb the agents doing their jobs.

 

I huff at him, but don’t stop him. He’s full of energy, but he bounced back incredibly quickly. Instead, I search the room for Martha. Where is she? Fury enters the Bridge as well from my peripheral vision. I stride over to him, immediately questioning him. “Do you know where Martha is?”

 

He slightly opens his mouth, but closes it again. After a few seconds of him not responding to me, I put my hand on his arm. “Where is she?”

 

He shrugs off my hand, and proceeded to his monitors. “She is safe” is all he says.

 

“But why is she not here?” I demand, but one of the many doors flings open, to a woman and a man supporting my beloved between them.

Steve’s POV

 

I stare in shock at Martha. Her skin has paled to a white color, almost of death. Her eyes are closed, her mouth hangs open, and scratch marks line her arms. I run over to her, cradling her in my arms. “Martha, Martha, come back to me, Martha.” I whisper in her ear.

 

She is unresponsive, but I gently brush her face. I hear another person stand behind me, but all that matters right now is Martha. I shake her cautiously, but nothing happens. “Whoever did this, whoever is responsible, will die at my hand.” I solemnly swear so the entire room can hear me.

 

Medics kneel next to me and Martha, and one tries to take her from my grasp. I growl at him, and hold her tightly close to my body. “Please, we need to take care of her.” The medic pleads, once again trying to steal my love from me. I growl again, but Tony kneels next to me. “Steve, it’s for the best.” He nods reassuringly. I sigh deeply, and slowly let go of my only care in the world.

 

The medics quickly and professionally move her to a stretcher, and I watch them go, tears forming in my eyes. Tony tells me to go and get some rest, and I grudgingly turn and go. The hallways are a blur past my eyes, nothing important catching my eye. I stop for a minute to lean against the wall, and end up falling down it to hunch on the ground. A couple of tears escape my eyes, and I let them go. Please, Martha, please be alright. I cannot live without you. You are my love, my heart, my soul, the person that lights up my world no matter where you are or what you are doing. You are my everything. I love you too much to let you go.

 

I lose track of how long I am lost in my own grief-stricken world, but Thor brings me out of it. “Steve, are you alright?” He shakes my shoulder, and I gaze at him. “Steve, what happened?” An urgency shows in his voice, and he sits in front of me.

 

“Martha.” I whisper. He wrinkles his eyebrows, a sign that he is confused. “I have no idea what happened, but she was brought back to base extremely pale, and she looks like she is dead. I never had the chance to even feel for a pulse.” I murmur, too upset to really explain everything.

 

Thor widens his eyes, and hugs me close. “I have not heard of this yet. When did this happen?” He questions.

 

“I.. can’t remember.” I answer truthfully.

 

“Where is she now?” He requests.

 

“Medical ward.” I close my eyes again, wishing for Thor to leave me alone. Instead, a hand pulls me up until I am standing. “What are you doing?” I really don’t care anymore.

 

“No one ever said you could not visit her.” Thor explains, and directs me down the hallway. I don’t answer him, but I know what he means.

 

We walk in a comfortable silence, me trying to keep calm and Thor helping me feel better with his presence. He is one of my best friends, because we both have no idea about some modern things. Although Asgard is incredibly advanced from our own technology, Thor sometimes has issues with the simplest things, like a toaster. “Midgardians make everything complicated, and when it is not, it confuses me.” He once explained to me. I just laughed at him, because it really is true.

 

I smile slightly to myself, and wipe the tears off my face. Again, we don’t run into any agents. I think they're all scared of us, and purposely try to avoid running into us. After a few minutes, we reach a large set of double doors, labeled “MED WARD.” When we first arrived, this was one of the busiest sections of the base, but it still kinda is. I haven’t been here yet, but it seems Thor has. He pushes through the doors, and confidently makes his way down to a window of some sort. As I near it, I notice it is an operating room of some sort. But I can’t bring myself to look away.

 

Martha lays on the large bed in the middle, hooked up to machines and with doctors and medics swarming around her. Her heartbeat is steady though, and the doctors appear relieved. As the move around her, I catch a glimpse of a huge, almost gaping wound in the middle of her chest. I gasp and take a step back, the world spinning around me. Thor catches me, and helps me to sit down on the floor again. I take deep breaths, trying my hardest to erase that horrible, terrifying image from my head. Thor’s mouth moves, but no sound comes out. Or maybe I don’t hear it. Either way, I lean my head back and close my eyes. Footsteps pound through the hall, and another person is at my side. I glance to my left and see Natasha, who motions at someone I can’t see. I again close my eyes, and a cool, wet washcloth is placed on my head. It helps me calm down, and I finally regain my hearing.

 

“S... ve... Steve... Steve... STEVE.” Natasha comes into focus above me. Somehow I ended up on my back on the ground. “What.” I croak back. “It’s alright. The wound is very shallow, and most of the blood is from others.” Natasha reassures me.

 

Now that I think about it, there was blood splattered somewhere on her. “But will she be alright?” I plead softly, gazing straight into Natasha’s eyes.

 

“Yes.”

 

Martha’s POV

 

Ouch. That is the only thought running through my brain as I blink my eyes open slowly. All I really remember is making on the plane, reporting to the pilot, sitting down, and then... I have no recollection. Pain wracks my body, causing extreme agony everywhere I can think of. I do not want to move, so I close my eyes again. Even this tiny movement sends a jolt of pains down my spine.

 

Suddenly, it stops. I sit upright, as normal as could be. No pain, no agony, full mobility. What just happened? I am just about to get up and try and find a doctor or someone, because I definitely am in the health/medical ward, when someone bursts through the door.

 

Steve.

 

I smile at him, and he runs over to me. He hugs me tightly, his face against my neck. After a few seconds of the embrace, he jumps back from me and gazes at me worriedly. “Are you alright? Did I hurt you? Are you hurt? Do you feel better? Can I help? Ho-”

 

I cut him off with a loving gaze. “I am alright. You did not hurt me at all. I am not hurt, well, I feel no pain. I definitely feel better. And you can help by not stressing yourself.” I teased him in a soft tone.

 

He moves back to kneel by my side, and I turn so i’m sitting cross-legged, facing him. “Good, glad to see- wait, what do you mean ‘definitely better’?” He gets up onto his knees, so he can look directly in my eyes.

 

“When I woke up, it was agony. But right before you came in, it just... stopped.” I explain to him.

 

He holds my hands together in his own hands, and gazes straight into my eyes. “Martha,” He begins. “Martha, you are my dearest love, the person who always makes me smile, always makes me laugh, always cheers me up no matter where we are or what is around us. You are the light of my life, shining directly into the corners and dark places. You have made me into the man I am, the man right in front of you, with every word you speak, with every breath you take. You are perfection in a human form, God if he came down to earth, the most important thing that has ever happened to me. No matter what happens, just know, that I will always love you, til the end.” He leans up and gently presses a kiss to my lips.

 

When he pulls away, just inches from my own face, I take my chance to speak. “But Steve, do you know what you’ve done for me? You keep my spirits high, no matter what. You are my angel from heaven above, and more. You are my sun, my only thing that matters, and no what, I will always love you too, Steve.”

 

He kisses me again as soon as the last syllable left my mouth, harder this time with more passion. He climbs into the bed with me, kissing me deeply and laying almost on top of me. No words pass between us as he passionately makes love to me.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I wake up in the morning, refreshed. No one else is in the room except for Steve and me, but he is still fast asleep. Yesterday, well i’m pretty sure it was yesterday, I never had the time to actually think. Now I remember that I passed out on the plane. Okay, but why?

 

Oh right.

 

I had gotten onto the plane, made my report, and we had lifted off before I managed to look down at myself.

 

I had badly burned/cut my midsection. I immediately fainted from the fear, and then stayed unconscious. Then I woke up here. That makes sense.

 

I sigh softly to myself, and turn my attention to Steve.

 

He sleeps there like an angel, as I had told him. I smile at him, relieving every memory we have together. Us on a park bench, swimming in a lake, on the beach, doing missions together, every single second is precious to me. Somehow, I will keep these memories, and treasure them everytime he is away.

 

Steve stirs, turning around to face me directly. “Good morning.” He mumbles, his voice seductive and growly from sleep. I laugh at him, leaning down to capture his lips with mine.

 

“Good morning.”


	13. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SHIELD discovers things that should be left hidden. *Captain America: The Winter Soldier spoilers*

Steve’s POV

 

I slowly blink open my eyes, wanting to go back to sleep but knowing I will not be able to. I can tell that Martha is sitting up next to me, so I turn around. “Good morning.” I mumble to her.

 

She just laughs at me, replying with her own good morning. She kisses me softly, and I pull her down on top of me. It is my turn to laugh, and she rolls her eyes at me. I kiss down her neck, and in between form a question. “So how,” kiss, “did you,” kiss, “sleep?” kiss. She giggles at me, moving her head to kiss me deeply. “I slept well.”

 

I smile back at her. “Well, I have a surprise for you.” I push myself into an upright position, although keeping Martha on my lap.

 

“Alright,” She grins at me, but stays on my lap.

 

“Well, while you were out, I learned a little something for you.” She raises an eyebrow at me, yet gets up anyways. Before I can make it to where I had stashed something, she interjects me. “Wait, how long was I out, exactly?”

 

I sigh, but still answer. “8 days, 2 hours, and 36 seconds.”

 

Silence.

 

“I didn’t think... what...” She stutters.

 

I quickly grab my guitar from where I had hidden it on one of my many visits. “You were badly injured, and we had to keep you alive. I spent all my time by your side, only leaving when I was forced to.” I turn back to her, joining her back on the bed and getting into my position. Before she can speak, I shush her. “It’s alright. I had the time to learn the guitar, and one great song by Queen.”

 

She stares at me for a moment, before asking, “What song?”

 

I remembered back one day when she told me her favorite song, ever. I convinced myself that one day, one day I would play it for her. “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”

 

Her face lights up completely, and I launch into the song.

 

This thing called love I just can't handle it

this thing called love I must get round to it

I ain't ready

Crazy little thing called love

This (This Thing) called love

(Called Love)

It cries (Like a baby)

In a cradle all night

It swings (Woo Woo)

It jives (Woo Woo)

It shakes all over like a jelly fish,

I kinda like it

Crazy little thing called love

 

There goes my baby

She knows how to Rock n' roll

She drives me crazy

She gives me hot and cold fever

Then she leaves me in a cool cool sweat

 

I gotta be cool relax, get hip

Get on my track's

Take a back seat, hitch-hike

And take a long ride on my motor bike

Until I'm ready

Crazy little thing called love

 

I gotta be cool relax, get hip

Get on my track's

Take a back seat, hitch-hike

And take a long ride on my motor bike

Until I'm ready (Ready Freddie)

Crazy little thing called love

 

This thing called love I just can't handle it

this thing called love I must get round to it

I ain't ready

Crazy little thing called love

 

I laugh, trying my best to sing well for my love, and the only thing that has ever mattered since I met her.

 

Martha.

Martha’s POV

 

I sigh happily, finally back to training. It has been a full three weeks since I had been hospitalized, and now I am released from my room. Steve sat next to me, laid next to me, talked with me, almost the entire time I confined to that room. But once I got the ok from the doctors, Steve forced me to stay in my own room for another week. He does care about me, he really does. I love him dearly, and I never want to hurt him. So I stayed in my room, made him happy, and last week he grudgingly allowed me to wander the base. I kept away from the training room, and any place where I could possibly get any possible injury. He obviously appreciated that, because he had missions of his own to go on. Yesterday, he told me I could go back to training.

 

“Martha, I love you with all my heart. I don’t want you to think that I control every aspect of your life, like your friends and training schedules. I don’t want to do that, but I can’t bring myself to see you hurt again. So please take it easy, but I cannot make myself control you any longer.”

 

I had gasped at him. “Steve! No, you’re not controlling at all. I honestly do not want to go back to training. I don’t want to be hurt as much as you don’t want to see me hurt. But I will do the bare minimum of training that I need to do, and definitely take it easy. I love that you actually care about me.”

 

After that conversation, the entire Avengers team went out for ice cream, where Tony ended up with a large milkshake down his pants. It was an interesting day, to say the least.

 

But now, as I change into my exercising wear, I realize one important detail I left out to Steve.

 

I am afraid of myself.  
I know that someday I will dangerously injure myself, maybe even kill. But, what would happen if I hurt another person? I could never live with myself after that. Steve would be disgusted by me, and SHIELD would definitely kick me out. But I have to work out my powers, and find someway to control myself. So I have to go back to training, even though I may accidentally reveal the extent of my powers. Fury already has a little knowledge of what I can do, but if he knew everything, I would be locked in the Fridge until I die, or he needs to use me for something.

 

But, I have to control it. So back to training I go.

 

I requested to train by myself, which Steve hesitantly agreed on and Tony did not. I convinced them that I would be fine, and so here I am, in a huge, empty training space. Fury never puts cameras in the training room, because he doesn’t want enemies of SHIELD getting their hands on how we agents train. I settle my breathing to a steady pace, and calm my thoughts. I need to master my fire.

 

How hard can it be?

 

\---6 hours later---

 

Okay, it is hard.

 

No matter what I try, the fire just shoots out of my hands. I cannot control it. The closest I have gotten is holding a tiny flame in my hand for 10 seconds. I tried to make it larger, but it shot out to hit the wall. It makes no real damage anywhere it hits, which is interesting. But I can’t hold it in my hands. Maybe all I can do is shoot fireballs. Hmmm, lets try something new.

 

I hold my hands as if I was holding an invisible, medium sized basketball. I must look ridiculous. But I close my eyes, and concentrate. I never felt any different when I had used my fire before, but now I do. A slight, tingling sensation shoots up my right arm and into my hand. I squeeze my eyes shut, even more afraid of losing control now. But I must be doing something right, because I feel it this time. Taking in a deep breath, I slowly crack open my eyes, only to jolt them open.

 

I am holding a giant fireball.

 

And it is not affecting me in any way, that I see right now.

 

The ball of fire floated in between my hands, not burning me but still letting out a fair amount of heat and energy. I breath in sharply, and the ball jolts. It starts to shake, moving more in my hands. I close my eyes again, vainly attempting to regain control, when it flies out of my hands.

 

I hear a loud “OMPH” from behind me, probably from the training hall door.

 

I spin around as fast as I possibly can, to see a gaping hole in the wall. I sprint towards it, jumping through the torn metal. I gasp, breathing shallowly.

 

How could I have done this?

Martha’s POV

 

I take in three deep lungfuls of air, closing my eyes and calming myself down.

 

In, out.

In, out.

In, out.

 

I hesitantly crack open one eye, to take in the sight I see before me.

 

I hit Fury.

 

Right in the chest.

 

I sprint the remaining few feet to kneel by his side. “Directory Fury, Fury, are you alright?” I shake his shoulder, not too gently.

 

He groans at me, shifting slightly. “I am so so so so so so so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that, oh god, what can I do?” I babble, checking to make sure he was not bleeding deeply from any wounds.

 

He grabs my wrist with his hand, opening his eye finally to gaze at me. To my shock, he starts to laugh, quietly at first. It grows in volume until he is shaking with mirth, and I have to smile back at him. He smiles up at me, then pushes himself up into a sitting position. “Now I know what you can really do.” His smile is not cruel, but fatherly and kind.

 

I sigh with a small grin on my face, not happy at all with what I did. Steve will definitely hear about this, and then either be mad at me, or overprotective of-

 

Fury’s voice cut through my thoughts. “I won’t tell Steve if you don’t want me to.” I glance up sharply at him, an unspoken question invading my brain.

 

“I know you wouldn’t want me to, and then he would insist to take off time to watch over you. I do need him for help too, you know.” He puts a hand on my shoulder, then stands up, holding his stomach with his other hand. I help him up as carefully as I can. “Well, i’m off to the medical ward. I’ll think of a good excuse on the way there.”

 

“I’m sorry for-” I start quietly, when Fury cuts me off. “I have been through worse. I would rather you hurt me than a lot of other people here. Now go rest for a little while. You look pretty pale.”

 

With this, he limps off in the direction of the medical ward, causing me to sigh and lean against the wall. Do I really look that pale? I push myself off, and merge into the main hallway. For one of the rare times in the past couple of years, there are a lot of agents in the hallway. Some are talking with supervisors, some making notes, and some just goofing off. I guess I just usually take the less used hallways. Ever since we all relocated here, everyone’s spirits have risen to a new level, and we all are enjoying it.

 

Halfway back to my room, I realize I have no clue what people are going to think of the ruined training room wall. Oh well, too late for that now.

 

After following the stream for a little while, I take a left where I should take a right, to the bridge instead of the housing areas. I need to talk to my friends that work there, not take a nap. There are still agents headed the same way as me, and no one gives me a second glance. I know all of them by name, from Agent Harold to Agent Lee. SHIELD is a tight knit community at times. But then global threats come in, and no one trusts one another for a long time after that. Yet, Loki is bringing us all together now, everyone putting their faith in each other completely. Can there be anything wrong with that?

Steve’s POV

 

Sighing, I run my hands through my hair. Tony glances over at me, laughing. “Old man confused by new computers?” He teases.

 

I roll my eyes at him. “No, just worried about Martha.”

 

“Why? She’ll be perfectly fine. Fury went to go tell her to come here, if she’s not fine, he would have already told us. Lighten up already, grandpa.” Tony swivels in his chair next to me, not doing any of the work he is supposed to be doing.

 

I nod grudgingly. “True. I just worry, alright?” I concentrate on my work, double encrypting some of the files. Apparently I am good at coding.

 

Tony snorts at me, and continues to spin in his chair. I chuckle at him, but continue to work on my latest project. We are in the Bridge, where a good number of agents work by my side, other than Tony of course. Clint is recovering well, and Thor and Sif are spending quite a lot of time together. They are good together. I am very reluctant about letting Martha go back to training, but I don’t want to control her or change her in any way. She is perfect already.

 

“Hey, I didn’t know you could code.” I turn around, smiling wide when my eyes land on Martha. She stands behind me, a smirk on her face. I laugh, shrugging. “I didn’t know either.”

 

She laughs, and pulls a chair next to me. “So training went well. Probably won’t accidently die in the next few days.”

 

I chuckle. “How do you accidently die?”

 

She gives me her ‘really?’ face. “Same way you accidently burn spaghetti.”

 

“That makes no sense.” I fake scold her.

 

“Yep. That’s why i’m here. Anyways, what are you even doing.” She points to the computer screen, and I shrug.

 

“Putting encryptions on files. Apparently I am good at it. I don’t know.” I reply honestly.

 

She just laughs at me. “Well, that’s fun. Learning more about you every day. But I have to ask, what the hell is Tony doing.”

 

I glance over to where he sat, banging a phone, not his, on the desk, saying “Why won’t you open?” I sigh deeply, putting my hand over my eyes. “I don’t have a clue.”

 

“That’s great. Fury told me to go rest, and not hurt myself. Finish your work soon, Stevey.” She stands back up, blowing me a kiss and walking away.

 

“Stevey? Really?” I call after her, “Rest well.”

 

She waves back to me, and leaves the bridge.   
I smile, but then turn to Tony. “What are you even doing?” He says something back to me, but a beeping warning appears on my computer screen. I lean in, reading the code behind it. I have to read it three times, but I lean back slowly, softly saying them out loud.

 

“HAIL HYDRA.”

 

I breath shallowly, keeping myself calm. Hydra was destroyed so long ago! The Red Skull was killed right in front of my eyes. They can’t be back. No no no no no.

 

More code pops up on my screen, then turns into video. The same happens on every computer around the room, and my gaze flicks over every one.

 

A blurry picture of Loki, that is interrupted by static for a minute, clears up. He is in his battle armour, in a warehouse room. “SHIELD agents.” His cold, maniacal voice echos around the room, not 100% clear.

 

“This is my only warning to you.” He continues, his eyes baring into me, renewing my anger towards him. “Give me the girl, and Hydra and I will let you all live.”

 

“Never.” I immediately reply to him, not caring if he can hear me or not.

 

“Ahh, the soldier. Do you love her? Martha? Do you? Do you remember your friend, Bucky is it? Well, I can arrange a rendezvous, but he may try to kill you.” Loki states clearly, while my heart speeds up.

 

“Bucky is dead. Like you will be soon.” I warn him, while he chuckles.

 

“Oh, poor soldier. Thinks he killed his friend, don’t you? Well, Hydra has trained him well, I may say. I can send him your way, but I want to kill you myself. Give me the girl. You have 5 days. Good luck.” The video cuts out, but his cold green eyes still bore into my brain.

 

“Never.”


	14. Hail Hydra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Steve stop Hydra from getting Martha?

Martha’s POV

 

I reached the room that Steve and I share, and flop down on the bed, a permanent smile plastered on my face. Steve is perfect. I may never get over the fact of how, well, perfect he is. His smile can light up even the darkest room, his eyes sparkle with the light of a thousand suns, and his personality can make anyone fall in love with him. I have nothing to compare to that, but he does not seem to have bored of me yet. I feel as if this is too good to be true. Someday he will want to leave me, but hopefully not yet.

 

The door flies open, and I lift my head slightly. Steve almost sprints in the room, kneeling down next to me. “Are you alright, darling?” His eyes widened to the point where he looks frightened for his life.

 

“I just saw you, and yes. What’s wrong?” I put my hand softly on his cheek, and he sighs deeply.

 

“Nothing, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” My mind immediately spins to the prophecy, two from the middle enclosure, with equally tragic beginnings and middles, will met the den on 12 of the day of Thor, by the hands of the lost prince from two realms. I never told him about it, so how would he know? He can’t know. He cannot.

 

He must notice the subtle panic on my face, and he leans in closer to me. “Are you sure you’re okay? Please tell me if something is wrong?” He pleads with me.

 

I sit up, holding both his hands in mine. “I’m fine. But what happened? And don’t lie to me.” He closes his eyes for a second, and breathes deeply.

 

“Alright. Alright. But... Okay. I cannot hurt you. You know that.” He stops for a moment, and I nudge him with my knee.

 

He sighs, not looking at me. “HYDRA’s back. With Loki. Together.” He states, and I don’t move at all. He waits for me to say anything, do anything, but I don’t. How can HYDRA be back? Steve was there when Red Skull was killed.  
They can’t be back. But with Loki, we don’t stand a chance. They will destroy us, from the inside out.

 

Steve’s earpiece buzzed, and he listens to it while never looking away from me, as if I will disappear at any moment. He nods, says yes, and stands up tall and proud. He hold his hand down to me, pulling me up from where I was sitting. “Fury has arranged a protective service for you, to keep you safe from them. Come on, let’s go.”

 

“Wait, why me? Shouldn’t everyone get a ‘protective service’ too?” I don’t want to be singled out by Fury to be safe and all that jazz, if no one else will be.

 

He turns to me, unshed tears shining in his eyes. “Bucky is back with them, probably brainwashed, equipped better than we are, and sent to destroy me. If he tries to attack you, I don’t know if I will be able to stop him. They want you, for some sick twisted reason. I can’t let that happen. So you are to stay safe, where you won’t be hurt.” One tear slides down his cheek, and I wipe it away.

 

He leads me out of the room, walking by my side, holding my arm. What he said sinks in as we walk, that HYDRA and Loki want me, just a younger agent. I know Steve won’t let that happen, but my heart still hammers in my chest. Fear seizes my brain, and it goes blank. We reach a protected room, where Fury waits outside. He nods sadly, hugging me before I walk inside the room. The walls are metal, and there are no windows, but the inside is quite nice and calm. I smile a tiny bit before the door closes, and I am locked into my next fate.

I stumble to the bed, laying down on my stomach. I don’t cry, but instead think of the prophecy. I easily figure out that the day of Thor is Thursday. Norse mythology calls Thursday “Thor’s Day.” The rest I am too upset and, confused to think about an figure out, so I close my eyes and eventually fall into a shallow, nightmare-filled, Steve killing, me dying, SHIELD breaking, overall disaster, sleep.

Steve’s POV

 

I sigh, leaning against the wall. Fury puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Well, at least Bucky may not try to kill you.” He shrugs, and I just shake my head.

 

“If i’m still alive, than it is possible that he is still alive as well. But I will not fight him. Bucky is my best friend.” I state plainy.

 

Fury stares right at me with his one eye. “Bucky is a threat, Cap, no matter how you put it. You may not have to fight him, or you may not want to, but someone will. And knowing HYDRA, that someone will definitely lose. And then that blood will be on your hands.” He warns me.

 

I put one hand up against my forehead. “But if I fight him, and win, or even...” I can’t bring myself to say the words, “what then? I will have... killed my best friend, and I won’t be able to live with myself either.”

 

“But if Bucky or HYDRA get Martha, they may use the untapped potential in her to try and destroy the world as we know it. They already almost destroyed SHIELD, and that was before they even had the power. Steve, you have to stop Bucky, Loki, and HYDRA, before we all lose. It’s not just for your country, it’s for Martha, Natasha, me. Do it Steve. I need to go help strengthen our defenses. It’s your call. Make it wisely.”

 

Fury left me alone to my own thoughts, and I stand there for minute. Is Martha more important to me, or Bucky? I can’t choose, I can’t. I won’t. I’ll keep Martha safe, and save Bucky. Alright.

 

I straighten up, standing tall and proud. No one can beat me, no one.

 

No one ever has.

 

I make my way through the busy hallways in the direction of the bridge. A couple of agents give me sympathetic looks on my way, and some say sorry. I just nod, and tell them to stay safe. No one will ever defeat Steve Rogers, Captain America. For some weird reason, the hallway to the bridge is closed, so everyone is taking detours. It takes a little while to get to the bridge, but I wish it hadn’t. I step in through the doorway, and over 20 guns point at me.

 

“Hey.” I say calmingly, putting my hands up and slowly taking a step back. I asses the situation. I count, 32 men, fully armed SHIELD agents, in various points around the room. Anywhere I go I will be shot. There are dead, well hopefully not dead, agents spread around the floor, agents that I know well. Actually, I know almost all the men pointing guns at me well. Agent Sitwell is one, standing almost directly in front of me, one eyebrow raised.

 

“Why hello there Cap, wasn’t expecting you here at all.” He chuckles, and I narrow my eyes at him.

 

“What’s going on here?” I question him.

 

He leisurely steps around a body, Agent Cartell. “Oh nothing, just another organization will take SHIELD’s place.” I say nothing, waiting for him to explain. When I don’t reply, he mocks being confused. “Oh, you haven’t heard? SHIELD is out, HYDRA’s taking over.” He calmly informs me, while shrugging again. I guess he likes to shrug. “It’ll be a minor change, because many SHIELD agents are HYDRA agents as well.”

 

I let out a disbelieving laugh. “I doubt that. SHIELD agents are loyal, not traitorous scum like you. We actual save the world, and I don’t know, care about it.”

 

Sitwell stops strolling for a moment to glance at me. “Really? There are many, many HYDRA agents around, even Senator Stern. If only Tony had let us get the Iron Man suit way back before the Avengers joined together and had their little New York party, then HYDRA would already be on top.” He smiles coldly at me, and a side door pops open. A young male agent walks in, and almost immediately one of the gunman shoots him through the head. No one else moves, and my breath catches in my throat.

 

“So, Captain America, do you want to live?” He taunts me.

 

“No.” I warn him, “SHIELD will live.”  
Natasha’s POV

 

I step quickly, heading to the bridge. I know Steve went there, probably alone, and with SHIELD protocol now all agents must have a partner at all times. Steve and I are assigned together, but I haven’t seen him since. Fury declared the bridge to be unsafe, so all SHIELD agents are instructed to stay away from it. However, some agents on the bridge did not get that memo, so I am supposed to go and tell them. Hopefully Steve is there. Lord know we need a strong man like him around to keep us all safe.

 

I put in my new earpiece, sending out a message on the network. “All SHIELD agents are to stay away from the bridge. If already there, evacuate to a safe location. And Rogers, report to outside the bridge.” I end the transmission, and sigh. Why did HYDRA come back? I learned about it and Red Skull back in SHIELD training, a long time ago. Steve also told me a little about them, but now he needs to tell us all a lot more. This is a threat we are not prepared for.

 

I reach the bridge door, and push against it. It doesn’t budge. I frown, pushing a bit harder. Something must be blocking it. I roll my eyes, I probably scared the younger agents. I take a step back, then kick the door down. And then take another step back. “Steve!” I call out to him. He turns around and smiles at me.

 

He stands in the middle of a room of fallen agents, either dead or unconscious. There is no blood, so they can’t be dead. “What did you do?!” I question him, stepping carefully across the room.

 

“HYDRA agents knocked out, or maybe killed, most of the agents on the bridge. They threatened me, so I took them out. Simple.” He states, shrugging. His voice is calm, but I can see the pure rage running through his eyes.

 

“No, not simple. What did they want?” I carefully step around Agent Sitwell. Is he with SHIELD or HYDRA?

 

Steve sighs heavily, reaching me and hugging me tightly. “How many HYDRA agents are there in SHIELD?” He asks me slowly, distressed.

 

“We don’t know.” I reply, giving him the most straightforward answer I can think of. “But wait, there are HYDRA agents in SHIELD?” I repeat to him.

 

He just nods, and releases me. “There are. But how is Martha, is she okay?” His eyes open wide, he puts one hand on my shoulder, and stares into my eyes.

 

“Of course. You know, I still can’t believe it.” I quickly change the subject, to calm it down.

 

It works. “Believe what?” He lets go of my shoulder, and reaches down to grab an ID off an agent with a HYDRA logo on his pocket.

 

“That you’re not gay.” I simply state.

 

He spins around on feet, and stands up tall. “What?” He sputters out, and I just laugh at him.

 

“Well, you never seemed to show any interest in girls before Martha, so I just assumed you were gay.” I smile innocently at him, and he just chuckles.

 

“What about Peggy? I know I told you about her.” He shakes his head and then continues on with collecting IDs.

 

“Oh right, I forgot about her. So you’re not gay. You can put that on your resume.” I joke around, glad to see him laughing again.

 

A buzz goes through both our earpieces, and Fury’s voice comes in. “Romanoff and Rogers, a new mission popped up for both of you.” He cuts out, and we both sigh.

 

“When will our lives be less complicated?” Steve comments, and leads the way out of the bridge.


	15. Martha's Powers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Martha face a threat that could destroy them all, but can they stop it before it is too late?

Martha’s POV

Opening my eyes slowly, I sit up. I don’t remember any dreams, but I do remember nightmares. I only wish that Steve was here with me. But SHIELD needs him more than I do. I really love him. I think about it sometimes, how I need him in my life. How my heart stops whenever I see, how my entire heart and brain are drawn to him. But right now, I must help with whatever I can. 

Standing up, I check that my clothing works for me. I don’t care about my appearance, only about my love. I walk to the door, cautiously trying the handle. It’s not locked. I sigh happily, and push the door open. No one is in the hallway, but I know where I am. I take a right, headed towards Fury’s office here. We need to talk. I can hold my own. Most of the agents are working at the tracking systems, managing the equipment/machinery, or fortifying different buildings. We are all tired of dealing with threats and enemies, but we know what to do now. The agents that are not doing those things are running around the halls, gathering things for others. No one noticed me as I slipped into the crowd, joining the mad dash around the building. 

I continue with everyone down the hallway, until someone/something pulls me into a side hallway. “Martha!”

It holds me to its chest, and I squirm in its grasp. “Martha!” It whispers in my ear, and I immediately relax. “Steve.” I sigh out.

He turns me out, holding me at arms length. “What are you doing out of the room? I have to keep you safe!” He protests.

“Steve, I have to help someone. Besides, if I stay in the room, it’s a lot easier for Loki and HYDRA to get at me, especially if no one is really watching.” I explain to him, tired of this whole ordeal.

He reluctantly nods, but then gets back into business mode. “If you want to help, go to Stark. He’s doing something or another, and I don’t want him killed. I have to go on a mission with Natasha, but I will be back.” He stops, and stares into my eyes.

I stare back at him, and he smiles. “I love you.” Before I can respond, he leans in and presses his lips to mine roughly. I melt into the kiss, moving my lips in perfect sync with his. He is so close to me, and I love him more every second. Sadly, he has to break the kiss. He stares down at me with blown, lust filled eyes, his lips slightly swollen. “We will continue this later.” He promises me, then moves quickly away. 

I stay there for a minute, composing myself. Go to Stark. I can do that. But where is he? Probably the product testing area. Best to try there. I slip back unnoticed into the crowd, smiling to myself.

\--------

2 hours of building and testing with Tony Stark himself. 

I wish I was not here right now.

Helping Tony is not as easy as it sounds. He has robots that help him with the menial tasks at his house, but not here. So I have to do a lot of little things that look easy but are kinda hard. And then I have to help him test out his newest weapon, a gun that has a HUGE recoil. Like seriously, that is way too much recoil. No one will ever use it. However, Fury has banned Tony from holding any guns inside any SHIELD buildings, so I have to test it for him.

I am in pain.

Every time something goes wrong, and every time the gun manages to hit me. 

When will Steve come back.

I sigh, giving the heavy, stupid gun back to Tony. He mutters something about changing the something of the gun, and I flop back down in the chair. Luckily, someone comes to my rescue.

“Clint!” I call out to him.

He smiles like a little puppy, and comes over and envelopes me in a huge hug. “What’s up, jitter bug?” He spins me around like a young child, and I laugh at him. I see in my peripheral vision Tony rolling his eyes at us, but I don’t care. 

Clint puts me down, and I examine him from head to toe. “They let you out of the medical ward?” I ask him.

He nods at me. “They need every man they can get.” He stops to glance at Tony. “What exactly is he doing?” He whispers to me.

I laugh, slapping his arm playfully. “I have no clue.”

“So, where is your little boyfriend?” He saunters over to Tony’s workspace, picking up a tool. 

“On a mission with Natasha.” I answer him, following him over to the workspace. Clint looks at me, then shrugs. “What else would the two of them be doing?” He comments to himself.

Tony turns to us, shaking his head. “If you two are going to flirt all day, please do it somewhere away from the working genius.” Clint and I glance at each other, then burst out laughing. Tony turns back to his work while I pull Clint off to the side of the testing facility, furiously questioning him about his wellbeing, waiting for Steve and Natasha to get back.

Steve’s POV

I sigh, picking up my shield. The mission went smoothly, but I want to be back where I can keep a very close on Martha. The mission involved dropping onto a building, climbing down a side, fighting off about 20 security guards, then closely searching the building for any explosives or any HYDRA clues, such as weapons or people. But we found nothing of the sort, except another 15 or so men appeared in one of the rooms I was in. I just finished knocking them out, but I have already searched the room, so it’s all good.

Natasha steps into the room, looks around it, and laughs. “Wish I was here for that. You get all the fun stuff.”

I chuckle, turning to her. “Next time, we’ll switch parts in the mission.” I walk towards the door, while she turns around and heads out before me.

“But knowing you, you’ll end up with the fun part again.” She comments, waiting until I was next to her to continue.

“You never know.” I added, and by then we had reached the door that we entered from.

“Steve,” Natasha starts, “you know I love how you and Martha are together...” She pauses for a second.

I stop with the door open, and raise an eyebrow at her. She gives a little smile. “But now I can’t play matchmaker for you.”

I laugh loudly at that, and start to climb up the wall as we had done before. The building has security cameras everywhere around it except the one way we found to climb down. I call down a reply to her as I climb. “You should offer your services to everyone in SHIELD.”

I hear her laugh below me, but by now I have nearly reached the roof. I can see a SHIELD plane above us, closer now that no one is watching the security cameras of the building. I pull myself over the edge, and Natasha follows me. “Maybe I should. I could start a little matchmaking business. Agent pay is not the best, to say the least.” 

The plane lands on the roof, and the back hatch-type thing opens. I still don’t know what it is called. We both run up it, and take our seats across each other. The plane quickly gets back up into the air, for fear that we could still be spotted. “You know, I think you and Clint would be a perfect couple.” I mention to Natasha.

Instead of laughing or denying it, she smiles and looks down at the ground. “I know, he saved my life before, and I really do like him, but I can’t muster up the courage to ask him out.” She explains, and I get up and sit next to her.

“If I can succesfully ask Martha out, you can ask Clint.” I tell her.

 

Martha’s POV

I lean against Clint, laughing at his horrible joke. “Why is an elephant big, gray, and wrinkled? Because if it was smooth and white, it would be an asprin.”

“That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life.” I shake my head at him.

He chuckles. “But you still laughed.”

“It was a pity laugh.” I inform him, and he gives me a puppy dog face. I slap his arm, and Steve and Natasha walk in.

Clint and I both jump up, and Steve speedwalks/runs over to me and wraps me in a hug. “Hello.” I whisper into his ear.

Steve pulls away to look into my eyes. “With all the crazy things happening, I was worried that something horrible happened to you.” 

I roll my eyes at him. “Everything is fine. Clint was released from the hospital.”

At this, he looks to my left and sees Clint. Steve pulls him into a man hug, and Natasha joins in a big group hug. I pull out my phone and snap a quick picture.

“Clint! You’re alright!” Natasha exclaims.

I tug on Steve’s arm, and whisper to him that we should give them some space. He agrees, and we leave them in peace. We exit the room, while Tony still works on some weird weapon.

We go out into the hallway, and Steve immediately starts to kiss me. I lean into the kiss, deepening it with my tongue. He responds by invading my mouth with his own tongue, and I let him take control of the kiss. He pushes me back against the wall, and I relax into his embrace. He continues to kiss me deeply, pressing against me like he never wants me to go away. He only breaks off to whisper “I love you,” and then continues to kiss me deeply. All of the problems around us float away, as I fall even deeper in love with him.

Martha’s POV

“But still, even if you can create a time machine, I’m pretty sure going into the past would be almost impossible.” I point out.

Natasha sighs at me, and knocks me on the head. “Why not? All the time travel movies and shows do it.” She continues the face trace near me, like the one with Loki. But again we are looking for Loki.

“So? I’m just pointing it out here, thank you very much.” I snort, only half concentrating on my screen. Something right now is setting me off, and I don’t like it.

Natasha rolls her eyes at me, but then winks at me. “Here he comes.” I laugh, but try to concentrate on the screens.

Someone hugs me from behind, and whispers in my ear, “Are you the beautiful person that I needed to talk to.” I chuckle, and whisper back, “Depends.”

In one fluid move, I end up sitting in Steve’s lap, my back to his chest. I have no idea how he did that. Natasha wolf-whistles, and I lean back into him. “Hello darling.” He kisses my cheek.

“Excuse me, sir, but I need to continue this face trace.” I objected in a joking way.

However, he just put his arms around me and continued it for me. I sigh and roll my eyes, while Natasha chuckles to my left. I can see Steve smile from the corner of my eye, so I turn around and briefly kiss him. While he’s distracted, I steal back the mouse from him, and face the computer again. I hear him chuckle in my ear, but I just shake my head at him. “I have work to do.” I warn him.

“I know.” He kisses me again, but doesn’t move at all. 

Natasha opens her mouth to say something, but is interrupted by an alarm. “A Hulk is loose on Research Level 4. A Hulk is loose on Research Level 4.”

I share a look with Natasha. I scramble off of Steve’s lap, as many agents get up and run for their guns. But right as I stand up, an explosion knocks me off my feet and into the computer desk behind me.

I groan, but stand up anyways. Many HYDRA agents, as you can tell by the symbol, run into the room, guns up. Some SHIELD agents try and shoot them down, but instead they get shot down.

“Where’s the girl?” One man barks out.

I stand up, aware of a trickle of blood running down my face. “What do you want?”

He spots me and chuckles. “Oh, little girl, you have nothing to fear. You should have come to us when you had the chance.”

This guy is really getting on my nerves. No one, and I mean no one, hurts any of my fellow SHIELD agents. “Or I could just kill you.” I offer. 

Before he can reply, I concentrate intensely on shooting a beam of fire right into the HYDRA agents. I close my eyes, and screams of pain fill the air. I open my eyes, and take a step back.

I managed to hit every one of them.

Cool.


	16. Final Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can the team finally finish Loki for good?

Steve’s POV

I cannot believe my eyes. “Martha?” I tentatively call out.

She spins around to face me, a wild light shining in her eyes. “That... was... epic.” She grins like a madman and I have to take a step back.

She blinks a couple times, and looks around confused for a second. “Never mind, that was really weird.” 

I walk over to her, and gently put my hand on her arm. It was a little warmer than usual, but it didn’t burn me. “Why did you never show me that?”

She avoids my gaze, staring at the ground instead. “I, well, I never wanted to. I thought it might hurt you.” She whispers.

I lift her chin up, and stare into her eyes. “Please, don’t hide anything from me. Never again. I can’t lose you.”

She nods, but Natasha clearing her throat next to us reminds me of what we have to do. I hug Martha quickly, but we separate just as Fury walks into the room. “Agents, we need to assign groups of 3 to check every area aboard this ship. No HYDRA agent will be allowed to live.” He turns towards our little group.

“Captain, call every Avenger available.” Steve nods, but Fury continues. “We’re gonna need every person we can get to win this battle.”

Steve turns to Natasha. “You heard him. We need you. Go get Tony and Clint. I’ll get Thor, Sif, and Bruce.”

“But wait, Bruce isn’t here.” She objects.

Steve smiles at her. “Yes, he is.” He turns towards one of the hallways, but I stop him. “What about me?” I ask him.

He chuckles, in the most sexy way possible. “We need you to stay here. You’re one of our best fighters.” Before I can respond, he exits the room. Natasha shrugs at me and runs out as well.

Fury walks up to me, and gives me a rare smile. “You’re the only person we have left to guard this room. Most likely nothing will happen. But still, guard it well. Good luck.”

He leaves through one of the lesser used doors, and I am all alone. Every little sound echoes, and the constant hum of computers is the only thing that breaks the silence. I take a defensive stance, constantly circling. Before even a full minute passes, a large group of agents walk in with guns raised. I duck behind a computer, out of their sight but where I can see them. I count a total of eight. Easy enough.

I stand up, and step out from behind the desk. “Yoohoo!” I call out to them. They all turn, but before they can shoot my arms are already flaming. “Big summer blowout!” I heard it in a movie.

I breathe deeply and throw the fire like a baseball. It kinda works. It hits them, and a bunch of the wall. Whoops.

The heat of the blast melted their weapons anyways, so I let my arms extinguish. Before I can get back into my defensive stance, someone jumps on me from behind. I go down, with them on top of me. I roll over and flip over, so I’m facing them and on top. It’s just another HYDRA agent. Though this one has a knife. And is stronger than me. 

He rolls us both over, his knife to my neck, almost drawing blood. I push at it, but it doesn’t budge. His brute strength will overpower me, so I do the one thing I can think to do.

I kick him in the nuts. 

It works, and I push him off of me. He curls up into a ball, but I kneel over him. I grasp his neck, hard. “Where is Loki and Bucky?”

He smiles at me in a twisted way, and whispers, “DC. Meet them there.” He knocks at his tooth with his tongue, and swallows it after it is knocked out. He coughs, and dies.

I take a step back, and Natasha runs in with someone else. I know it’s her because she calls out to me. I’m facing away from her, but I just shake my head. “They’re in DC.”

I turn to her, still shaking my head. “We need to get to DC. Now.”

Martha’s POV

I lean back in my chair as Steve begins to outline the plan. On his way to get Thor, Sif, and Bruce, he ran into a HYDRA agent and got more info on Loki’s and Bucky’s locations. They were hiding out in the mall, in the Museum of American History. By the time we’ll reach them, it’ll be night and all the Smithsonians will be closed. But they got there before they closed, so most likely there will be hostages.

“Alright.” Steve starts. “They know we’re coming, but they have the upper hand. We need to sneak in, get past anyone and take them out silently. We’ll split up, but in pairs. The first pair to find either Loki and/or Bucky will send out a signal to everyone else to go there. If anyone gets stuck or hurt, use your bluetooth to contact anyone else. When the signal is sent out, the pair that finds that person needs to stay hidden. Everyone else will sneak around to that person, and as a team we will take them out. If they are together, we’ll only need to do that once. Any questions?” He glances around at our grim faces, but no one speaks up.

“Good. We have about 30 minutes until we get there. I want Thor and Sif, Bruce and Tony, Clint and Natasha, and Martha with me.” He nods at us, and goes to speak with Fury over the radio.

Everyone but Bruce and I start to check over their weapons. Instead, I turn to the doctor. “Are you ready?” He seems pale so I try to strike up a conversation. 

He turns his head and smiles. “I’ve been training with a gun, so I can handle myself. But what about you?”

I chuckle. “I’ve dealt with a lot worse, like a grumpy boyfriend for example.”

Bruce laughs at this, and Tony joins our conversation. “Ohh, Capsicle over there can get grumpy?”

I glance at him, and laugh. “Oh yes, very easily. You wake him up 5 minutes early, the next hour is spent with a grumpy soldier.”

Natasha buts in. “I’ve seen it too often. Someone doesn’t clean their gun properly, he’ll calmly clean it and then walk around, snapping at anyone who talks to him for the next two hours.”

Now Clint joins us, a large smile already on his face. “One time, Steve was going to go on a mission, but Fury moved him to a different one. I have never seen someone so grumpy do a mission that fast.”

Thor and Sif laugh with us, and Thor tells his own story. “One of the few times I visited Earth, someone accidentally pulled an emergency alarm at 4 in the morning. I have never seen such a man so grumpy that early in the morning.”

We all laughed, until Steve moved back with us. “What’s going on?” He questioned. 

“Nothing.” We all said in unison.

He humphed and crossed his arms. “Well anyways, I’ll be in the cockpit. Don’t do too many weird things.”

He went into the cockpit and closed the door, and we started to laugh again. To pass the time until we landed, we told funny stories of grumpy Steve and other things he has done.

When the plane finally touches down, it’s past sunset. Everyone stands up, moving to be with their partner. Steve joins me and takes my hand. The hatch opens, and we step out into the cool air. “Alright. I’ll take the North entrance. Thor and Sif, take South. Natasha and Clint, take East. Tony and Bruce, take West. Move out.”


	17. The Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will the team's plan work, or go up in flames?

Martha’s POV

Steve and I sneak around the outer area of the building. The security cameras are off, as in completely off the walls. Someone knocked them down, probably Loki and HYDRA hiding their tracks. Just makes it easier for me. Steve tries the door, and surprisingly it’s unlocked. He raises his shield up, and quickly enters the building. No one’s in sight, and I exchange a look with him.

We follow the hallways, hiding behind corners and anything we can find. No one. Neither of us talk, in case we set off a sound sensor.

Finally, we reach a set of barred steel doors. We both know that’s the way in, but it’s probably a ambush. Before we can even do anything, my phone/ buzzer thing beeps. I glance down at it, seeing that Natasha located both Loki and Bucky. Steve got his own alert, and checks.

I take the chance to text Steve. They’re on the other side of the door.

Yep. So what are we gonna do? He shoots back.

Go through the door? I raise my eyebrow at him.

All he does is nod, and then examines the door. I stand back, letting him do what he does. After about a minute or so, he turns and motions to me to join him. I walk to him, and he does some complicated thing to the door. It swings in, showing a normal hallway. 

Four HYDRA agents step out in front of us. “I think they know we’re here.” Steve states.

“Thanks, Captain Obvious.” I roll my eyes and get into fighting positions. The agents raise their guns at us, and we duck right as they start firing. I roll to the right, but I can’t see where Steve went. All at once, they stop firing. 

After sitting there for a good 45 seconds, I lean my head out. No agents in sight.

“Steve?” I call out.

I get no response. I stand up, checking the surrounding area and every place he could’ve gone.

No sign of him. I don’t see him, but he’s probably where the agents are. And the agents are probably where Natasha signaled from. All right, i’ll go there.

I take off running down the deserted hall. I keep an eye out for traps, but i’m guessing there are no hazards until I reach wherever Loki and Bucky are.

“Going somewhere?” A cruel voice mocks from behind me. 

I freeze, spinning around to face the person. “Loki.”

Loki smirks, keeping his distance. “You thought you could just walk into my headquarters and defeat me? What do they teach you in agent training?”

I stand my ground, just done with Loki and his shit. “To use any trick necessary to win.”

He makes a face. “Really? That’s a horrible stra-” I blast him in the middle of his chest, and he flies back the hall about 10 feet.

I walk over to him, leaning over him. He’s out cold. I chuckle, then turn around and continue to run to where the signal came from.

Martha’s POV

After a few minutes of chasing the alert, I reach another pair of large closed doors. I send out another text to Steve about where he is, but I don’t get a reply. Bracing myself, I slowly push the door open and peek out. All I can see is Natasha having the crap knocked out of her, and no one else in sight.

“Bucky, stop!” I cry, sprinting into the room and standing between them.

“You have to stop, Bucky. I don’t know why you’re doing this, but I know that I can’t let it happen. I care too much about SHIELD, about Steve, to let you keep destroying everything I’m trying to build.” I take in a deep breath, shaking my head. “And if you don’t stop yourself, I’ll stop you myself.”

Bucky stares at me in disbelief, chuckling and then full-out hysterically laughing. He took a step back, cackling, and I took the chance to lean down to Natasha and check her injuries. She seemed alive, and as I stood up I finally looked at the room.

Each of the four walls had a security camera trained on the center of the room and a TV screen under them.

“Are you filming this?” I murmur.

“Less filming, more like showing the world what SHIELD has done and what HYDRA can do.” A familiar cold voice remarks, and I sigh.

“Loki, I don’t think you realize how much I hate you.” I remark calmly, turning to face the god. His face had a dark bruise over one eye, but the gleam in his eyes never faded.

I smiled, ready to punch his brains out. But I saw Thor and Tony and well, everyone else slowly creep through the door. I started to stall him, “But do you?”

Loki frowned. “Do I what?”

“Realize how much I hate you?”

He chuckles, “Of course I do.”

“See, we’re connecting here. Mutual hatred of the other person. This is good, this is good.”

I really got him confused this time. “Are you using some kind of mind trick?”

“Do I seem like the type of person to use mind tricks?”

“I don’t know, do you?”

“But thats what I’m asking you, do you?”

“I don’t understand the question.”

“I don’t understand your face.”

“ENOUGH I don’t know what you’re trying to do but stop it!”

I full-out laughed. “I’m stalling you, bitch.”

Thor took his cue to take a running start and tackle his brother, but something triggered an alarm (probably Bucky) and HYDRA reinforcements flooded the large room.

“Alright, lets do this.” I mutter to myself, and high-kick an agent in the face. I’m not going to use my fire, because I don’t feel like burning everything including myself. 

I continue to take down agents and at one point Steve and I up back-to-back against the tide of HYDRA. Most of the fight is a blur, but I know Thor eventually took down Loki and Bucky completely disappeared somewhere. After the last agent fell, we all stood around in the room until someone mentioned something about the plane. One HYDRA agent gave me a really bad concussion, and the team tells me I fainted while walking out of the building.

Loki was taken back to Asgard, which will not end well again, but the HYDRA threat still loomed over us. It was not as bad anymore though, but my job is still not done.


	18. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter of thos story. Thanks for reading!

EPILOGUE

“Steve! Honey!” I call out.

“Yes, Martha darling?” He calls back to me from the kitchen.

“Can you get me a taco?” I ask from him, too lazy to actually get up.

“But why?” I hear the smile in his voice and I shake my head to myself.

“I am pregnant with our son, and I want a taco. Two very good reasons.” I retort to him, and I hear him move around.

I stare at the mantelpiece, gazing at the wedding pictures, the babies, and just everything we wanted to remember.

Six years later, one marriage, one son, one daughter, and many many amazing memories, I could not have a better life. 

I could not be happier.


End file.
